Sustainability assessment of community-based DRM committees in Mozambique

Mozambique, as a large coastal country, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including an increase in flooding, cyclones and droughts. The impacts of natural disasters are intensified by Mozambique’s low performance in socio-economic factors such as poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and weak social institutions.

The Mozambique National Disaster Relief Act of 2014/15 provides legal and political mechanisms and guidelines for disaster preparedness. However, the effectiveness and coordination of mechanisms are limited as Mozambique does not have the necessary infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.

The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) is promoting the establishment of community-based disaster preparedness committees (CLGRC) to increase the effectiveness of coordination mechanisms and to establish a country-wide approach to building regional and local early warning systems. To date, more than 1200 such committees have been established. However, no evidence-based or data-based study has yet been carried out on the sustainability of these committees.

The aim of this research project is to discuss how sustainable, relevant, effective and efficient the local disaster committees are, and which factors promote their sustainability. To this end, adelphi, in collaboration with AMBERO, is examining with qualitative and quantitative methods three regions in the north, centre and south of the country. The project will contribute significantly to the analysis and improvement of disaster relief in Mozambique.