UNISDR: School safety as part of post-conflict reconstruction: Community based disaster management, Afghanistan

Afghanistan frequently experiences disasters such as earthquakes, floods, sandstorms and extreme winter. What makes the response and recovery processes difficult is the low capacity left after more than two decades of wars and internal conflicts. As part of the community, schools and school children suffer from both disasters and post-conflict hardships. School buildings are weak, old and poorly maintained. Infrastructure is very poor, and there are hardly any resources with the local administrators to improve things. Most crucially, knowledge resources on mitigation and preparedness are extremely scarce. 

In 2003, under the arrangement with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Department of Disaster Preparedness (DDP) of the Government of Afghanistan, SEEDS carried out the consultation process for the preparation of National Disaster Management Plan for Afghanistan. The following year SEEDS worked with UNAMA and DDP for dissemination of the National Plan towards Community Based Disaster Management in Afghanistan. The dissemination activities included awareness and capacity building of line ministries, provincial and district governments, and schools. The school component was important as this was viewed as the critical link between government plans and community initiatives.

SEEDS India. School safety as part of post-conflict reconstruction: Community based disaster management, Afghanistan. New Delhi: SEEDS India, [no date]. http://www.unisdr.org/2007/campaign/pdf/case-study-afghanistan-en.pdf.