Round-up: Updates from Cambodia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

By Katie Robinson, Red Cross insider

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

CAMBODIA: To help integrate disabled people back into society and enable them to achieve sustainable incomes, in 2015 the ICRC launched its Micro Economic Initiatives (MEI) project in Battambang Cambodiaprovince, Cambodia. The project provides financial assistance to disabled people wishing to set up small businesses with their families.  Every two weeks, MEI staff visit the families to follow up on the projects. Currently, eight families have received assistance from the ICRC in starting up their new livelihoods.  Given the success of the project and the warm welcome from families who feel more secure about their living conditions, the ICRC in 2016 hopes to add 20 new families to the program.

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES: Communities in the Caribbean have long faced a variety of vulnerabilities due to the many different natural hazards endemic to the region, including hurricanes, flooding, volcanoes and earthquakes, and all the consequent risks posed by such scenarios.  These communities are not only the first people affected by these hazards, they are the most knowledgeable in regards to the risks they face and how they must adapt to be more resilient.  The development of their ability to identify and report on these vulnerabilities only strengthens their place as vital partners with national and regional organisations in comprehensive disaster management and risk reduction. 

Recognising the need to partner with communities in fortifying resilience, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross hosted a workshop on local level vulnerability mapping of communities from February 23rd to February 26th 2016 in Kingstown.  Through focus groups, plenary sessions and a community field visit to verify results, the workshop attendees had ample space and material for discussion on developing a common system for targeting and reporting on community risk reduction action among partners and how it could eventually work, including the identification of roles and responsibilities.

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