The municipalities of Basud and Paracale are located in the Province of Camarines Norte in the Bicol region. Mainly dedicated to the cultivation of disaster-resilient villages, the DRREAM BIG Project selected two focus barangays in each locality, namely San Felipe, Taba-Taba, Dalnac and Labnig. These vulnerable communities were specifically chosen due to their high exposure and susceptibility to both natural and human-induced hazards. Hence, the project saw an imperative need to foster a culture of safety and resilience, particularly for the children and youth.

 

Set up by the CDP and UNICEF as a joint project, the aspiration was to work towards the integration of child risk and vulnerability assessments in the chosen barangays’ planning processes with a particular emphasis on the engagement of the children and youth in risk management. Alongside this, local assistance was provided in the selected communities to adopt, promote and sustain behaviors and practices through resources, knowledge, skills and systems in place in order to improve their safety and resilience to stresses and shocks. The key of this project lies in inclusive, participatory, and Community-Based Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CB CCDRRM) education. In promoting an atmosphere of safety and wellbeing for the children and youth, ample opportunities arise for the young community members to be involved in Community-Based DRRM as pioneers, leaders, and even champions ensuring a sustained representation.

 

During its two-year project span from 2014 to 2016 the DRREAM BIG project advanced above and beyond its targeted aims. While the project was initially designed to cover only the barangay-level, it dreamed bigger and paved the way to one of the project’s significant milestones: the systematization of CB CCDRRM beyond the barangays extending the project sphere to cover the municipalities and the province of Camarines Norte as a whole, shaping a vital partnership with the Provincial DRRM Office and encouraging them to share its own resources in CCDRRM.

 

Furthermore the following accomplishments of the project stand out in particular:

 

• Effectively foster child-centered and risk informed DRRM and development plans and policies within the local government units;

• Creation of two community-based child-centered DRRM (CB CCDRRM) modules for adults and children alike through the facilitation of CDP in a participatory write-shop with UNICEF partners;

• Active participation and completion of more than originally anticipated target number in the planned project activities;

• Exchange of knowledge and practices on the ground between barangays and schools led to streamlined evacuation center management and integration of teachers in trainings within the communities;

• Organization and activation of DILG-mandated Youth Task Force in all four barangays, which encouraged young people to also spearhead DRRM activities;

• Raising awareness and education on the importance of DRRM and how to prepare for, prevent, and mitigate the effects of the manifold hazards, risks and vulnerabilities in the community.

 

In essence, the DRREAM BIG project has laid the foundation for Camarines Norte’s culture of resilience and initiated a momentum to persistently engage in and advocate for CB CCDRRM. The chosen barangays San Felipe, Dalnac, Labnig, and Taba-Taba are now better prepared for hazards and risks they face and may experience in the future also taking a leading position in CB CCDRRM efforts towards the attainment of safer and more resilient communities.

 

With the children and youth now attaining a vanguard role on this journey, the project has not only highlighted the depth of DRRM strategies, but also addressed developmental issues on a greater level. DRREAM BIG has paved the road for all other communities in Camarines Norte opening up new and approachable possibilities for everyone involved.

 

After all, the vulnerable communities are set for a better future that supports a sustainable and resilient development plan for their children and generations to come.

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