A long, long time ago I worked with a group of international organizations (ActionAid, Christian Aid, Plan UK, Practical Action, Tearfund and British Red Cross)to develop the ‘Characteristics of a disaster-resilient community’: an operational tool to support planning, monitoring and evaluation of DRR projects. A pilot version of the Characteristics appeared in 2007 and was tested in the field. A revised version drawing on the lessons from the field testing was published in 2009. (You can find copies in several locations online – e.g. on PreventionWeb – https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/2310).
In the years since 2007, I have received and collected information about how the Characteristics tool has been used in many parts of the world and by agencies of different types. It is clear to me that the Characteristics has been influential, but the evidence is piecemeal and often anecdotal. It is time to search and collect it more widely and carefully. By doing so, we can learn not only about the journey the Characteristics has taken but also gain some insights into how knowledge and practice travel in the DRR and resilience arenas.
For this, I need your help! Please send me (j.twigg@ucl.ac.uk) any information you may have on the progress and impact of the Characteristics: it doesn’t matter when or how it was produced, who produced it, or how thorough it may be. All contributions will be gratefully received.
I look forward to hearing from you!
John Twigg's blog on disaster risk reduction 