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Disaster PreparednessPlanning Guide

2010

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANNINGGUIDE02

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

YCare International’s vision is one of a world where young people are protected from the impactof disasters and emergencies. Over the years it has strived to achieve this by supporting YMCAs’efforts to respond effectively to the needs of young people following a disaster or emergency.The Disaster Preparedness Planning Guide and Toolkit form part of Y Care International’s ongoingcommitment to increasing the capacity of YMCAs to reduce the impact of disasters andemergencies on young people’s lives.

WRITTEN BY: Claire O’Meara, Emergency ProgrammesCoordinator, Y Care internationalDESIGN: Ian Dunn Design

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Disaster Preparedness Planning Guide and accompanying Toolkit have been developedwith thesupport of theWorld Alliance of YMCAs. This initiative aims to complement theWorld Alliance’s workin strengthening the quality of YMCAs’ emergency response activities and international coordinationof efforts, through its ‘Coordination Protocol’ and ‘Emergency Appeal and Reporting Templates’.

Y Care International would like to thank the staff and volunteers of Liberia and Sri Lanka YMCAs’national and local branches, for their support and commitment to the in-country piloting of theDisaster Preparedness Planning Guide and Toolkit.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword to the Disaster Preparedness PlanningGuide 5Introduction to theGuide and Toolkit 6

PARTONE: Background to disaster preparedness planning 8

1. Building the case for Disaster Preparedness Planning 91.1 Understanding disasters: risks, hazards and vulnerability 101.2 The Impact of Disasters 121.3What is Disaster Preparedness? 131.4Why is disaster preparedness relevant to YMCAs? 14

2. Principles for creating a relevant and usable Disaster Preparedness Plan 15Principle One: Participation and local ownership 16Principle Two: Ongoing Learning and Adaptation 17Principle Three: Commitment to Good Practice and Relevance of Activities 18Principle Four: Collaboration not isolation 19Principle Five: Prevention before response 19

PART TWO: Producing a disaster preparedness plan 20

Stage 1: Preparation 211.1What you are aiming to produce 211.2 Organising the process for Disaster Preparedness Planning 231.3 Identifying stakeholders and information sources 261.4 Planning the activities 27

Stage 2: Analysis 282.1 Context building and risk assessment 282.2 Scenario development 32

Stage 3: Response Planning 333.1 Establishing your response strategy 333.2 Setting aims, objectives and activities 343.3 Good practice in response plans 35

Stage 4: Organisational Systems Planning 354.1 Supporting programmatic and organisational systems 354.2 Organisational capacity and resource availability 38

Stage 5: Finalising the plan and getting prepared 405.1. Compiling the information 405.2 Reviewing the process 405.3 Action planning 415.4 Finalising theWritten Preparedness Plan 415.5What next? 42

Annex 1: ICRCCode of Conduct 43

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANNINGGUIDE

List of Acronyms

CBO community based organisationDP Disaster PreparednessEM-DAT International Emergency Events DatabaseICRC International Committee of the RedCross / CrescentIFRC International Federation of the RedCross / CrescentNGO non-governmental OrganisationPRA participatory rural appraisalSWOT strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threatsUN United NationsUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNHCR United Nations Refugee AgencyUNICEF United Nations Children’s FundWAY World Alliance of YMCAWFP World Food ProgrammeWHO World Health OrganisationYMCA YoungMen’s Christian Association

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FOREWORD TO THE DISASTERPREPAREDNESS PLANNING GUIDE

In the past decade, 2 billion people have beenaffected by disasters caused by natural hazards,a figure which in the face of changing climateconditions is set to increase dramatically overthe coming years. Disasters resulting fromtechnological hazards such as pollution, andcomplex emergencies, such as conflict, are alsoon the increase. Themajority of those affectedby these disasters are the poorest members ofsociety. Particularly at risk are children andvulnerable young people unable to protectthemselves from the impacts of a disaster andwithout resources to re-establish their livesin its wake.

It is nowwidely acknowledged that unless wework to reduce the impact that disasters haveon poor people’s lives, progress currently beingmade towards theMillenniumDevelopmentGoals is severely at risk. Disasters are notunpredictable. Themajority can be preparedfor by paying attention to seasonal weatherhazards and identifying early-warning signsthat give people time to protect themselvesand their property.

The perception that humanitarian agenciesprovide themajority of support in the eventof a disaster is not an accurate one. It is localpeople whomake up the front line of response,responsible for saving themost lives andproperty affected.

Supporting communities in their bid to do thisis an effective way of minimising the destructiveand disruptive power of disasters. The distinctiveposition which YMCAs hold in their communitiesand their voluntarymembership structuremeansthey are well placed to support andmobilisecommunity members in the event of a disaster.While the YMCAmovement is not an emergencyresponse organisation, Simon Pluess of theWorld Alliance of YMCAs (WAY) has noted:

“A movement, unable to respond to the needsof communities in moments of extremedespair, is likely to be considered as irrelevantby those whom it serves.”

It is therefore unsurprising that there is a longhistory of YMCAs around the world responding todisasters, both in their own and in neighbouringcommunities. These responses have taken theform of immediate relief for victims throughprovision of food and shelter, as well as longer-term rehabilitation work through psychosocialsupport, reconstruction work and livelihoodsdevelopment. Manymore YMCAswould like torespond but feel hampered by lack of capacityand a clear idea of how to act when overwhelmedby events.

Disaster preparedness planning is a processby which YMCAs can ready themselves inadvance for events that might affect them. It isa vital way of increasing capacity and enablingYMCAs to respond effectively to the needs ofthe community when called upon. Beingdisaster preparedmeans understanding thenature of risks being faced and recognisingthe vulnerabilities underlying them. It requiresorganisations and individuals to identifyopportunities for preventing as well asresponding to disasters.

This toolkit seeks to support the undertakingof disaster preparedness planning by nationalYMCAmovements, and intends to complementwork currently being undertaken by theWAY toestablish a global movement strategy regardingemergencies. It is not in itself a new initiative,there are examples dating back as far as 1980and as recently as 2005 of efforts by theWAYto develop guidelines and policy relating toemergency response and preparedness. Allof these documents recognise that YMCAsaround the world have a vital role to play inresponding to emergencies within their ownand neighbouring communities.

Chris RolesChief Executive, Y Care International

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INTRODUCTION TO THEGUIDE AND TOOLKIT

What is the Disaster PreparednessPlanningGuide and Toolkit?The Disaster Preparedness Planning Guidehas beenwritten to support YMCAs through theprocess of disaster preparedness by providingbackground information and explanations ofwhat needs to be done. It is to be used incombination with the Disaster PreparednessPlanning Toolkit, which contains the tools andactivities necessary to put the process intopractice.When used together, the Guide andToolkit provide practical support in developingcontext specific plans, owned and led by thestaff andmembers of their YMCA. It is not aset of guidelines or procedures to followin the event of a disaster.

Who is the Disaster PreparednessPlanningGuide and Toolkit for?TheDisaster Preparedness Planning Guide andToolkit is for YMCAs concernedwith preparingfor and responding to disasters which affect thecommunities they are part of. The processoutlined here is very thorough and YMCAswishing to follow it would benefit from priorexperience of using participatory research andanalysis tools. The Guide provides the narrativeaccount of the process to be followed and is asource of information and reference. The Toolkitcomplements the Guide by providing detailedinformation on the activities with practical tips onhow to gather and document information.

For YMCAswith no past experience ofresponding to disasters, the Guide and Toolkitwill help to identify and analyse issues whichmay be at first unfamiliar. It will guide the readerthrough the decisions that need to bemade andactions to be taken. Planning does not howeverreplace experience and it is advised that anyresponse plans developed through this processaccurately reflect the skills and experience heldwithin the organisation.

For those YMCAswith experience of working ina disasters context, the Guide and Toolkit willprovide opportunities to reflect and build on pastexperiences, ensuring that future efforts are evenmore effective.

When should disaster preparedness planninghappen and how longwill it take?Disaster preparedness planning can begin atany time as long as the YMCA has adequate timeto commit to the process. The process itself iscross-organisational, involving a combinationof assessment, analysis and planning activities.The amount of time it takes will depend on thesize of the organisation, the number of branchesinvolved and the complexity of the issues atstake. Activities within the toolkit will help youto establish what will be involved and howmuch timewill be required, but it is likely to takeanywhere between 3 and 12months to complete.

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The different elements of theGuide and Toolkit explainedTheGuide is split into two parts.Part Oneprovides an introduction to the issues andexplanations of technical terms involved. It alsoestablishes principles of disaster preparednessthat need to be adhered to.Part Two guidesreaders through each step of the process ofplanning itself.

There are three types of tools referred tothroughout theGuidewhich are containedin detail in the Toolkit.

Understanding in Practice:

Referred to in Part One of the Guide,‘Understanding in Practice’ tools help practicallydemonstrate issues and concepts beingaddressed in the Guide. Theymake use of real-life situations or simulations to bring issues to lifeand provoke discussion. They should be usedas part of initial training to help engage staff andvolunteers in the issues and process of disasterpreparedness. Most of the tools require groupwork and discussion sowill require a facilitator.Each tool is described in detail in the Toolkit witha list of necessarymaterials, time guidance andfacilitator notes.

Participatory Planning Tools:

Referred to in Part Two of the Guide, thesetools are central to the process of disasterpreparedness planning. Based on participatoryrural appraisal (PRA) tools familiar tomanyYMCAs they describemethods for gathering andanalysing information, prioritising issues andplanning activities. Theymostly require staffand volunteer participation but some exerciseswill also involve community members and / orrepresentatives from external partners andorganisations. Part Two of the Guide explainswhen they should be used andwhy.

Templates and Tables:

Also found in Part Two, these templates andtables have been designed to help presentinformation in the final written plan and are oftenlinked to the outputs of a Participatory PlanningTool. The templates indicate the type and depthof information that is required for the relevantsection of the written preparedness plan.They should be seen as flexible and open toadaptation to suit the circumstances andinformation gathered.While they do notrepresent the total content of the final writtendisaster preparedness plan they have beendesigned to present a substantial amount ofthe necessary information. The templates andtables can also be found in the Toolkit.


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Background todisaster preparedness planning


1. BUILDING THE CASE FOR DISASTERPREPAREDNESS PLANNING

Overview of sectionThis section provides a background to the issueof disasters. It will explain some of the keyterminology being used throughout the Guideand Toolkit. It will also help explain therelationship between disasters, their impacts andthe work of YMCAs in order to demonstrate whyit is important for YMCAs to be ready to respondto disasters that affect the communities they arepart of. The final part of this section will addressthe idea of disaster preparedness planning andhow the process of planning can increase theefficiency and effectiveness with which disasterresponse can be undertaken.

Objectives of sectionOn completion of this section, readers will:

• be familiar with the concepts of risk,vulnerability and hazards and how these relateto assessing disaster risk.

• understand the different ways disastersimpact upon people’s lives and therelationship this has with the work of YMCAs.

• recognise the value of undertaking theprocess of disaster preparedness planning.

The first part of the Guide is aimed at buildingunderstanding about disasters and thereasons for preparing ourselves and ourorganisations for responding to them.

It is split into two sections:1) Building the case for disaster preparedness

planning2) The principles of disaster preparedness

planning

The first section contains key concepts related todisasters which help explain the theory behinddisaster preparedness planning, andwhich areused to underpin the tools used later in theGuide. The second section goes on present fiveprinciples of preparedness planning which definegood practice and ensure that wework with acommon purpose.

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1.1 Understanding disasters:risks, hazards and vulnerability

What is a disaster?There aremany different kinds of disasters with avariety of causes and effects. The InternationalEmergency Events Database (EM-DAT) definesdisasters as:

‘a situation or event, which overwhelms localcapacity, necessitating a request to national orinternational level for external assistance; anunforeseen and often sudden event that causesgreat damage, destruction and human suffering.’

Do you agreewith this definition?If not, why not?

A lot of media attention is given to high profile andlarge-scale events such as the 2004 tsunami, the2005 Pakistan earthquake or the 2002 famine insouthern Africa. However, this promotes the ideathat disasters are one-off and unpredictableevents, which is not the case.

There are thousands of ‘everyday disasters’that disrupt lives and cause hardship tomillionsof people worldwide. ‘Everyday disasterscan include:• seasonal flooding, landslides or mudslides• localisedmalaria or cholera outbreaks• pollution of local water supplies• drought and failure of crops• localised conflict

These small-scale disasters regularly affectcommunities in which YMCAswork; oftenthey do not attract the attention of national orinternational support. Instead communitiesand individuals must use their own resourcesto recover. Over time this can reduce people’sability to recover quickly and canmakethemmore vulnerable to the impacts offuture disasters.Many disasters both large and small scale arepredictable. Seasonal weather patterns can beobserved and planned for, and early warningsignals and systems can also help to predictmany events before they happen.

Early warning systems can be both verysophisticated and very simple. For example,complex weather monitoring technologymay beused to predict flooding, but a simple rain gaugethat shows howmuch rain has fallen can alsosuggest when a flood is likely to occur.

Can you think of an occasion where the impactsof a disaster may have been reduced if peoplehad received somewarning in advance

DISASTER PREPAREDNESSPLANNING TOOLKIT

CLAIRE O’MEARA, 2010 11RISK: A Combination of Hazardsand Vulnerability

Disasters occur where there is risk. Predictingthe scale of disasters therefore requires us tounderstand risk.

When thinking about levels of risk a simpleequation is often used

Risk = hazard x vulnerability

The hazard refers to the trigger of the disaster,this can be a:• natural hazard, such as an earthquake or

severe weather conditions• technological hazard, such as a toxic spill

or pollution• social hazard, such as conflict

Many hazards are easy to recognise, such asvolcanoes, rivers which flood, hillsides prone tolandslides. These can be identified by localpeople using their knowledge and experience.However, sometimes people are not aware of thehazards where they live, especially if hazards areinvisible, such as contaminated water, or ifhazards have changed over time. This means it isnormally necessary to gather information onhazards from a variety of sources.

Hazards alone do not cause disasters; peoplehave to be vulnerable to the hazard before thereis a risk of disaster. Themore vulnerable peopleare, the higher the level of risk. Exposure tohazards is an obvious form of vulnerability butpeople can be vulnerable in different andmultipleways. This may be related to where they live,what they do to earn a living or how old they are.Other factors such as gender, religion, ethnicity,disability can alsomake a difference tovulnerability.

It can help to think about three types ofvulnerability:• Physical vulnerability – caused by living or

working in a hazardous area such as on aflood plain, near a volcano, near a factory etc.Physical vulnerability can also be caused bypoor quality buildings, over-crowdedconditions and so on

• Financial vulnerability – caused by havingfew assets, little financial protection such asinsurance, andweak or insecure livelihoods

• Social vulnerability – caused by lack ofaccess to healthcare, education and otherservices. This may also be caused by lack ofpolitical representation, discrimination andfailures to protect their rights

The vast majority of people affected by disastersare the poorest in society. Often those living inpoverty are vulnerable inmultiple ways allconnected to each other.

Understanding in Practice 1: Natural disasters? – Toolkit p10This exercise looks at the different types of hazards which cause disasters and encouragesparticipants to recognise the relationship between human actions and disasters.

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Understanding in Practice 2: Disaster Impacts – Toolkit p14This exercise encourages participants to think about the different ways disasters impact uponthe community in order to understand the full financial, physical and social consequences.

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1.2 The Impact of Disasters

Impact fromdisasters

The impact that disasters have on communities is widespread and can be very long-lasting.Disasters affect people inmany ways. It can be helpful to categorise these ways into three groups:• Financial• Physical• SocialFor poor communities the impacts of disasters are felt in addition to long-term poverty issuesbeing faced. Below is a diagram that maps some of the ways that disasters affect individualsand their communities.

FIGURE 1: Different ways disasters impact people’s lives

Many of these impacts relate to work YMCAs are already involved in. They are therefore likely to affectthe level of needwithin communities for YMCA services and support. Issues which YMCAsmayalready have experience in include:• livelihoods building• psychosocial support• provision of shelter and basic needs• child and youth protection• advocating for the rights of marginalised children and young people

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SOCIALIMPACTS

DISASTER

FINANCIALIMPACTS

PHYSICALIMPACTS

Post-traumaticstress and otherpsychological problems

Break-up of familiesand / or communities

Interruption to educationand other social services

Increased child protectionrisks, including physicaland sexual abuseand malnutrition

Costs incurred throughdamage to property orrelated health problems

Loss of income andsources of incomeproduction

Physical injury, death,illness and disease

Loss anddamage tohomes

Damage to essentialinfrastructure – roads,services, communications

Loss anddamage toprivate propertyand assets

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1.3 What is Disaster Preparedness?

Disaster preparednessmeans becoming betterequipped to copewith risks being faced. Itinvolves understanding and analysing the linksbetween risks, hazards and vulnerability andusing this knowledge to take action to reducethe impacts of disasters. Disaster preparednesscan be undertaken by anyone; governments,community organisations and even individualscan take vital steps to become disaster prepared.

Disaster preparedness is a process that happensbefore a disaster happens. There are two keyelements to disaster preparedness. The first isabout reducing risk through removing ormitigating the hazards and people’s vulnerabilitythat cause disasters.

Case study: A community in the Philippinesregularly experiences flooding and landslides.Last year when a big storm hit, homes andlivelihoods were destroyed and a number ofchildren died when their school was buried by alandslide. As a result the community with thesupport of a local organisation has undertakendisaster preparedness actions to reduce the risksto their community. One action they have takenhas been to replant the deforested and unstableslopes surrounding their village. This reduces therisk of landslides occurring. A second actiontaken has been to relocate the school away froma landslide prone area to reduce the vulnerabilityof the children. Combined, these actions reducethe risk of a disaster occurring in theircommunity.

The second element of disaster preparedness isabout being ready to respond if a disaster doesoccur. This is achieved by knowingwhat is likelyto happen, whowill need help andwhat type ofsupport theywill need.

Case study (cont.) The community has alsotaken steps to respondmore quickly in the eventof a disaster. They have established a DisasterManagement Committee which is responsible formeasuring rainfall. If a certain amount of rain fallsin 24 hours then they alert the community that aflood or landslidemay occur. This gives peopletime to get to safety. They have evacuation plansprepared if the floods are very severe. Vulnerablecommunity members have been identified tomake sure they are helped to evacuate. Theorganisation which supports them is ready tohand out health and hygiene kits to preventdisease spreading. It is also ready to providepsychosocial support activities to children tohelp them copewith the trauma of the event.

Disaster preparedness therefore has threemain purposes:1. Reduce the risk of disasters occurring2. Increase efficiency of response activities

in the event of a disaster3. Increase effectiveness of response activities

in the event of a disaster

Preparedness planning is the process ofgathering information about risks, identifyingneeds in order to become disaster prepared.


1.4 Why is disaster preparednessrelevant to YMCAs?

A familiar image of disaster response is of largeinternational relief agencies and nationalemergency services providing assistance andrelief to ‘helpless victims’. In reality it takes timefor this support to arrive and it is the localcommunity or the ‘victims’ that make up thefrontline response, saving lives and property. Thisis especially the case for events that do notattract the attention of the internationalcommunity or national-level support.

YMCAs can play an active role in supportingcommunities and particularly young people tocopewith disasters through supportingcommunity disaster preparedness activities.

Before a disaster occurs, YMCAs can helpsupport: the establishment of communitydisaster committees, training in relevant skills,educating people about risks and how to preventthem and the development of early warningsystems.

In the event of a disaster YMCAs can helpprovide leadership, co-ordination and facilitationskills. In addition, when external organisationsare involved, YMCAs can provide knowledge ofthe community and its needs, as well asmobilisenetworks of volunteers to undertake the workinvolved. They can also ensure that the rights ofchildren and young people are taken into accountby all those involved.

In order to support their communities, YMCAsmust prepare themselves.

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Understanding in Practice 3: Benefits of preparedness planning – Toolkit p14This activity is a fun way to establish the role of planning in a time-pressured environment.

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2. PRINCIPLES FOR CREATING ARELEVANT AND USABLE DISASTERPREPAREDNESS PLAN

OverviewThis section introduces the five principles thatshould underlie the process of developingand implementing a disaster preparednessplan. Each principle will be explainedwithaccompanying practical exercises, to helpdemonstrate their importance. Ideas will alsobe provided for how the principle can be adheredto andwhat it means in practice.

ObjectivesBy the end of this section readers will:• be familiar with the five principles underlying

the development of a disaster preparednessplan

• be able to demonstrate the importance ofthese principles in relation to planning andimplementing a disaster preparedness plan

2.1 Underlying principles for disasterpreparedness planning

The process of disaster preparedness planning ismore important than any final plan produced. Inorder to ensure an effective and successfulprocess there are a number of principles thatshould be promoted throughout:

1. Participation and local ownership2. Ongoing learning3. Commitment to good practice4. Collaboration not isolation5. Prevention before response

Understanding in Practice 4: Howdid this plan get developed? – Toolkit p16This exercise is the first in a series based on a fictional case study of a YMCA response to anearthquake. It addresses how a participative preparedness planning process builds commitmentand understanding across the organisation to implement the plan.


PRINCIPLE ONE: Participationand local ownership

It is important that a range of people participatein the process of preparedness planning for anumber of reasons:

1) It helps to increase awareness of the plan,imbed it in the organisation and buildcommitment for its use.

2) Decisions are based on a range of experienceand knowledge, increasing the validity of theplan produced.

3) Skills and knowledge of staff and volunteersare built through taking part, increasing thecapacity of the organisation as a whole.

4) Valuable relationships between staff,volunteers, community members and externalactors are built throughworking together.

Disaster preparedness planning does not need tobe a technical process only to be undertaken byspecialists. Understanding of the local context,the risks being faced and potential copingstrategies and responses are often best foundwithin local staff and community members. Thisknowledge can be gathered through participativemethods familiar to YMCAs such as focusgroups, semi-structured interviews, rankingexercises and so forth.

In Part Two of the Guide the process ofstakeholder mapping will be discussed, but inprinciple the following groups should beincorporated into the process.• National level: YMCA staff and volunteers,

relevant national bodies such as Governmentdisaster committees or relief / developmentagencies who conduct response work

• Local level: YMCA staff members andbeneficiaries (this should always includeyoung people), community leadership andrelevant local bodies

Promoting participation does not mean thateveryonemust be involved at all stages in thesameway. Some actorsmay only need to beconsulted or informed of plans produced, othersmay bemore active in generating information andmaking decisions. It is very important thereforethat methods and tools are usedwhich enablepeople to take part effectively.

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PRINCIPLE TWO: OngoingLearning and Adaptation

Learning through doingDisaster preparedness planning is first andforemost an exercise in capacity building for theorganisation and individuals involved. The toolsin the toolkit have been designed to enablepeople with little previous experience to takeactive part in their completion, and thereby learnnew skills through doing. Any attempt to increasethis learning through further peer training andreview should bewelcomed.

Types of skills which will be developed throughdisaster preparedness planning include:• assessment skills for identifying risk and

other influencing factors• analysis skills for reviewing and

understanding information• project development and decisionmaking

skills in identifying objectives and priorities• participation skills throughworking with a

variety of stakeholders

A key element of the planning process is theidentification of gaps in organisational capacityand resources. These gapsmay relate toknowledge or skills that need to be strengthened.Adhering to the principle of learningmeansmaking a commitment to addressing these gapsof knowledge and skill.

Learning from experienceBeing prepared for disasters requires learningfrom past experiences and acting on thisinformation. Capturing learning through effectivemonitoring and evaluation is essential forimproving practice andworkingmore effectivelyin the future. Learning from others is also animportant aspect of this. There aremanynetworks involved in disaster preparedness andresponse. Sharing and gathering learningthrough these networks is essential to improvingpractice.

Adapting and updatingChanges in the external environment, physical,social, economic or political all affect risks beingfaced and the way they can be tackled. Forexample, no one yet knows all the ways thatclimate changewill affect countries and thecommunities within them. As new learningbecomes available it will be necessary to adaptplans and actions tomeet changingcircumstances.

At minimum a review of the disasterpreparedness plan should be undertaken once ayear, the dates for which should be included inthe original plan as an integral part of the wholeprocess.


PRINCIPLE THREE: Commitmentto Good Practice and Relevanceof Activities

Adhering to humanitarian principlesof good practiceAll disaster response work should adhere tohumanitarian principles of good practice (seeannex 1 for the ICRCCode of Conduct which YCIis signed up to). It is essential therefore that theseare taken into account when preparing plans forresponse. Adhering to these principles increasesaccountability to beneficiaries and donors andhas less chance of causing unintentional harm.

Ensuring good practice in disaster response andpreparednessmeans being realistic about whatcan be undertaken in light of organisationalcapacity and experience. Trying to reach toomany beneficiaries or undertaking activities notnormally undertaken withmaymean thatobjectives and outcomes are not sufficientlyachieved.

Making responses relevant to YMCAgoals and strengthsYMCAs have their mission, vision and strategicgoals. Disaster preparedness and responseshould, wherever possible, adhere to these. Thismeans value is added to work being undertakenand disaster preparedness and response workstowards the same goals for greatest overallimpact. Addressing disaster preparedness in thecontext of the organisation’s strategic prioritiesmeans:• activities build on existing strengths and

experience within the organisation• unnecessary challenges will be avoided in

trying to become experts in new areas• cross cutting themes such as ‘gender’, ‘HIV

and AIDS’ or ‘youth participation’ can bemoreeasily integrated

• existing work priorities will be strengthenedand not undermined by preparedness activities

Avoiding duplicationIt may be that through the course of riskassessment, needs are identified which arebeyond the capacity of the YMCA to address.However inmany cases there will be otherorganisations that have the remit and expertise toaddress these needs. The YMCA should look tocomplement the activities of these organisationsrather than duplicate them. It may also be that theYMCA has expertise they can offer to others. Acommitment to good practicemust thereforeinvolve looking beyond the internal workings ofthe organisation by sharing learning andexperiences with external actors.

Understanding in Practice 5: But it’s not what we’re good at! – Toolkit p18This exercise builds on the previous discussion and uses the same case study. Here participants willbe asked to consider the relevance of the response originally proposed and think about how it couldbe improved.

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PRINCIPLE FOUR: Collaborationnot isolation

When disasters occur people are affected inmultiple ways and require a wide range of helpand support. It’s unlikely that one organisationalone can provide everything needed, somanyorganisations provide responses. Theseorganisations need to work in coordinationwitheach other to ensure an effective and efficientresponse. In order to coordinate effectively,relationships between organisations,communities and governing bodiesmust be built.An essential element of disaster preparednessplanning is the development of theserelationships, ready to be put into use in the eventof an emergency.

There aremany forms that these relationshipscan take – theymay be based on informationsharing, collaborating in activity implementation,providing training or technical support, or evenfunding. It is important that YMCAs commit tobuilding these relationships through theirplanning process by joining networks andcommittees, arrangingmeetings, attendingconferences and training, and any other activitiesthat will help to build these vital relationships.

In many countries there are official disastercommittees, for response as well as disaster riskreduction (sometimes referred to as ‘prevention’or ‘mitigation’). In order to access funding andcollaborate with other relevant organisations it isessential that YMCAs seek to access thesecommittees and networks.

PRINCIPLE FIVE: Preventionbefore response

The final principle recognises that preparednessis about reducing the impact before the event aswell as after it.

Planning response activities helps reduceimpacts in the event of a disaster by increasingthe speed and quality of response work. It doesnot however provide a solution to the problemand should not be considered a substitute foraddressing the underlying risks people face.

Wherever possible, hazards and vulnerabilitiesidentified through the risk assessment processshould be linkedwith wider YMCA programmes,or developed into new projects. For instance,through livelihoods development, health andeducation activities, rights and advocacy workand so on.

There is a strong relationship between the toolsthat YMCAs uses on a day-to-day basis andbeing prepared for disasters. Leadership training,developing spaces for youth participation andchild protection training are essential to qualitypreparedness and response. Looking foropportunities to use existing activities tostrengthen preparedness and reducevulnerability is an excellent way of helping toprotect YMCA communities and beneficiariesfrom the impacts of disasters without having tolaunch a response.

Understanding in Practice 6: How canwe stop it happening again? – Toolkit p21Returning to the case study for the last time, in this exercise it is now a year later and the YMCA isthinking about how they could help to prevent future disasters through their work with vulnerableyoung people.

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Producing aDisaster Preparedness Plan


The second part of this Guide introduces theprocess of disaster preparedness planning.It givesmore information about what a planlooks like andwhat is involved in developingone. It then provides a practical guide toproducing a disaster preparedness plan.It will be split into five stages:

1) Preparation: getting ready to start byplanning who needs to be involved andwhatyou are going to do

2) Analysis: gathering necessary informationon vulnerabilities and hazards and producingpotential disaster scenarios for planning tobe based upon.

3) Response planning: establishing the aimsand objectives of future response strategiesbased on potential scenarios

4) Organisational systems planning: definingthe systems for coordination andmanagement. Identifying relevant resourcesand highlighting gaps to be filled.

5) Finalising the plan: compiling the informationandwriting up the plans. Action planning forpreparedness activities, evaluating theprocess and looking to the future.

Each stage will explain inmore detail its purposeand contribution to the final written plan.Participatory tools (contained in the Toolkit) arereferred to throughout the text to help gatherrelevant information or analyse the issues. Inaddition, tables and templates are provided tohelp document findings and results.

STAGE 1: PREPARATION

OverviewThe aim of this stage is to help YMCAs toestablish their process of disaster preparednessplanning. It starts by highlighting the end productYMCAs are aiming to produce and introduces themain components of the plan that need to bedeveloped. It goes on to provide guidance onhow to plan the process of disaster preparednessplanning, with ideas about sources of informationto use and activities which need to be plannedfor. The associated tools will help this planningand contribute towards the written disasterpreparedness plan introduction.

ObjectivesBy the end of this section participants will:• be familiar with the stages of the disaster

preparedness planning process and theinformation or activities required to produceeach section of the plan

• recognise who the different stakeholders are,and value the knowledge or experience theymay bring to the process at the different stages

• be able to produce a plan for the processwhich sets a realistic timeline of events andthe people and other resources required tocomplete each stage

Outputs1) Stakeholder map2) Activity timeline3) Process planning table

1.1 What you are aiming to produce

At the end of the process of disasterpreparedness planning youwill need to produceawritten document summarising your analysisand plans.

The content and scope of this plan will be uniqueto the YMCA creating it. However there is anestablished structure to help ensure sufficientinformation and analysis about the situation andproposed response is included. Overleaf is anoutline of the structure of the final documentedplan andwhat information it should contain.


FIGURE 2: Outline of DisasterPreparedness Plan

Cover page• Name of YMCA• Authors of document• Date of production• Proposed date of next plan update

Introduction• Background to document• Map of country with YMCA locationsmarked• Overview of process undertaken to produce

the plan: key participants, methodologiesused, timescale, challenges to process

Section 1. Context building andrisk assessment• The economic, political and social context

of the country• The history of disasters in the country –

causes and impacts as well as responsesprovided

• The YMCA context – areas of work,beneficiary groups, prior disaster responseexperience

• Assessment of principle hazards andvulnerabilities of the country, by geographicalarea or other relevant grouping. This shouldinclude conflict as well as natural andtechnological hazards

Section 2. Scenario development• Identification of high-risk scenarios and

an assessment of the type and extentof impact most likely to occur. To includeinformation on key beneficiary groups(including young people)

• Expected responses by other actors inrelation to the scenarios – Government,international and national NGOs, CBOsand private sector

Section 3. Proposed response to scenarios• Identification of priority response strategies

for YMCA, including thematic area,geographical location and target beneficiarygroups (for each scenario)

• Aim, objectives and response activities to beundertaken

• Identification of good practice within theresponse plan

Section 4. Supporting organisational functions• Outline of supporting organisation

management functions, including;communications, human resources andfinancial systems

• Outline of project implementation systemsincluding; early warning, needs assessmentandmonitoring and evaluation

• Clear outline of roles and responsibilities forstaff with respect to these systems

Section 5. Capacity analysis and resourceallocation• Identification of organisational assets relevant

to the response, including human, physicaland financial resources, as well as lesstangible assets such as relationships withrelevant organisations, supporting policiesand documents

• Analysis of gaps in resources and capacitynecessary for being prepared andwhat isrequired to fill these

Section 6. Implementing the PreparednessAction Plan• Action points for implementing the plan:

including timeline, key tasks, role allocationand deliverables between now the next reviewof the plan

• Date of next planned review


1.2 Organising the Process forDisaster Preparedness Planning

Preparing for the process

Before starting disaster preparedness planningyouwill need to have in place the following:• A lead person, responsible for coordinating

and completing the process• A supporting committee or working group• Time and resources necessary to complete

the process

An effective process requires pre-planning andtime – this ensures that:• relevant people and organisations are

involved and consulted• enough information is available to inform

decisions• results are shared effectively• people are aware of the preparedness plan

created and how it will be used

The process of disaster preparedness planningshould be conducted over a number of months inorder to include the necessarymeetings, datagathering, analysis andwriting of the final plan.

There are fivemain stages of a disasterpreparedness planning process:

1) Preparation: gathering the relevantdocuments, informing those who need tobe involved and organising the necessarymeetings, workshops and activities. Readingthrough thematerials and clarifying themethods to be used

2) Analysis: assessing hazards, vulnerabilitiesand analysing the risks. Developing scenariosand assumptions onwhich plans will bebased.

3) Response planning: defining the aims andobjectives of response strategies.

4) Organisational systems planning: definingthe systems for coordination andmanagement. Identifying relevant resourcesand highlighting gaps to be filled. Confirmingand consolidating the plans.

5) Finalising the plan: following up action pointsand undertaking pre-disaster elements of theplan. Capture learning for planning reviews

Familiarise yourself with the different stagesof the process. Figure 3 (overleaf) provides asummary of the types of activities involved ineach stage andwhat you need to considerin your pre-planning.

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1.3 Identifying Stakeholders and Information Sources

The first step is to identifywho should be involved in the process and in what way they need toparticipate. Figure 4 below identifies stakeholders youmaywant to consider involving.

Figure 4: Potential stakeholders for the disaster preparedness planning process

Not all stakeholders need to be involved at allstages of the process. Nor should they beexpected to participate in the sameway. Forexample, community membersmay be asked toparticipate in the analysis stage through the useof participatory data collectionmethods (such asParticipatory Tools 4 and 5). In contrast an expertfrom a university or government departmentmay

be invited to attend ameeting, sit on a steeringcommittee, or provide written input into anassessment.

Participatory Tool 1 (below) will help you toidentify who your stakeholders are and how youwant them to participate.

Level YMCAmanagement

YMCA staff Other YMCApeople

Gov.bodies andleadership

Coordinatingbodies andspecialisedinstitutes

Internationaland nationalNGOs /organisations

People

National Staff andBoard

Administrative/ programmestaff

Governmentdepartmentsand ministries

Nationalco-ordinatingbodies(disastermanagement),universitiessocieties

Internationalagencies

Regional Staff andBoard

RegionalGovernment

Regionalco-ordinatingbodies

Local YMCAmanagementstaff andBoardmembers

Field andproject staff– coordinators,youth workers,

YMCAvolunteers(in particularyoungvolunteers)

Localcommunityleadership,LocalGovernment

Communitydisastercommittee,Local serviceproviders –police, health,fire-fighters,social work etc

Local NGObranches,CBOs

Communitymembers(men andwomen,young peopleand children),associations– women,business,farmers etc.

Participatory Tools 1: Stakeholdermapping – Toolkit p24This tool helps to identify the different groups and individuals who need to be involved. It also helpsto plan how they need to participate.

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1.4 Planning the Activities

Once you havemapped out your stakeholders,the next step is to create a timeline for youractivities. To help you identify potential activities,Figure 3 (p24–25) provides an overview of howthe five stages of the disaster preparednessplanning process relates to each section of thewritten disaster preparedness plan. The types ofactivities required to complete each stage arelisted here. Activities in bold have acorresponding tool in the Toolkit to support them.Participatory Tool 2 will help you tomap out theactivities you need to undertake, where theyneed to take place andwhen.

When planning your activities, if you haveundertaken this process before, then think aboutwhat workedwell, or what could be done betterthis time. Each time the plan is reviewed it shouldbuild on new learning and experiences, somakesure that this is incorporated into the planningprocess.

The Process Planning table (Templates andTables 1) should be used to document yourintended process – this should combineinformation about activities, stakeholders andany resources required. This table will act likeany project plan youwould normally use tomanage a project.

Participatory Tools 2: Establishing a timeline of activities – Toolkit p26This tool helps participants to establish the activities they need to undertake and the order to dothem in. This builds on the ‘stakeholder mapping’ tool.

Templates and Tables 1: Process planning table - Toolkit p48This table will help you to draw together the information that you have collected about activities,stakeholders to produce a plan of action for your Disaster Preparedness Planning process.

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STAGE 2: ANALYSIS

Overview of stageThis stage will help you to complete sections 1and 2 of the written preparedness plan (see figure2). It starts by identifying the type of informationneeded to build up your country and YMCAcontext with tools to help you to collect andpresent this information. It goes on to look at howto assess and rank vulnerability and risk in thecommunities where youwork before turning thisinformation into scenario descriptions that canbe used for response planning in the next stage.

ObjectivesBy the end of this stage, participants will:• be familiar with a number of tools suited to

collecting and analysing data in aparticipatory way

• be able to assess levels of risk andvulnerability, and identify priority situationswhich the YMCA should plan for

• be able to produce a number of scenarios andsupport the assumptions they are based onusing evidence from earlier data collectionexercises

Outputs1) Country and YMCA context2) Analysis of risks and vulnerability3) Risk prioritisingmatrix4) A number of scenario descriptions

2.1 Context Building andRisk Assessment

Understanding the situation is essential todeveloping an appropriate preparedness plan.There are fivemain aims for this section in thewritten disaster preparedness plan.1) To build up a picture of your country’s

economic, socio-political and environmentalissues relevant for later planning decisions

2) To identify and provide information on pastdisasters and responses to them

3) To provide background information on theYMCA itself – its size, its experience and keyareas of work and its target groups

4) To providemore detailed information on thevulnerabilities, hazards and capacitiesrelevant to disaster risk

5) To assess level of risk, and identify which risksshould be planned for by the YMCA

All the information collated in this section of thedisaster preparedness plan provides the basis forplanning in advance of a disaster occurring.However any information on beneficiary needsand numbers included here does not replaceinformation collected in the event of adisaster. Needs assessment and baseline datagathering still need to be included as a part of allresponse plans.

2.1.1 Country and YMCA contextThe country and YMCA context is the first pieceof analysis included in the disaster preparednessplan. This information establishes a generalpicture of risks facing the country, key events andother factors affecting risk, such as the politicaland economic climate and other social factors.The role of the YMCA should also be describedhere, with details about where it works. Theinformation should be amix of statistical factsand descriptive information.

Information should be collected throughsecondary research (see figure 5 opposite) andalso participatory activities. Participatory Tool 3provides an excellent starting point for thinkingabout what to include in the context, it will alsohelp participants think about the inter-connectednature of disasters, the YMCA and the country.

A template which identifies the type and rangeof information required for the context can befound in the Templates and tables section ofthe toolkit (p49).


2.1.2 Vulnerability and risk assessmentVulnerability and risk assessment is central tothe analysis process. It provides the necessarybaseline information for identifying relevantpreparedness activities and developingscenarios for response plans to be based upon.It is here that you identify who is vulnerable todisasters, what risks they face and how they willbe affected. (Youmaywant to review thebeginning of Part Onewhich provides anintroduction to the concepts of hazards, risk andvulnerability which this section is based on.)

Input from local branches and communitymembers is essential for this stage. Participatorytechniques to collect information should be usedwherever possible.

FIGURE 5: Useful sources ofsecondary information

1. Internet: UN organisation websites (UNHCR,UNICEF,WFP, UNDP,WHO),World Bank,Government websites, online libraries, onlineclearing-houses• Reports• Data and statistics• Journals• Evaluations

2. Other organisations / actors: Researchinstitutions, meteorological office, private sector /business suppliers, networks or coalitions oforganisations• Needs assessments and baseline surveys

• Data and statistics• Budget information• Expertise / good practice• Guidance and training

3. Libraries: local, university, government etc.• Journals andmagazines• Books• Newspapers• Maps• Relevant data and statistics

Participatory Tools 3: Building a country context – Toolkit p28This activity will enable participants to gather the information needed to complete the countrycontext template found in Templates and tables 2 of the Toolkit.

Tools and Templates 2: Country context template – Toolkit p49Use the information gathered through Participatory tool 3 and secondary research to fillin this table.

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Participatory Tool 4 uses participatorymappingto gather information. It’s a popular tool indisaster management because it is very visualand allows different types of information to begathered in one place from a variety of people.It helps participants to think about what mighthappen in the future. Participatory Tool 5, isdesigned to capture knowledge of what hashappened in thepast so this canbe learnt from too.

The amount of information you collect for yourassessment and its level of detail will depend onthe time and resources available to you. Even iftime and resources are limited it is important totry and include different groups in this process.Different vulnerabilities and risks faced bydifferent groups should be highlighted so thatplans take these into account.

2.1.3 Risk assessmentIf you have identified a large number of risksthrough Participatory tools 4 and 5 it is unlikelythat you can plan a response for all of them. Thiswill require you to prioritise the risks by thosemost essential for the YMCA to prepare for andbe ready to respond to.

A simpleway to prioritise the risks is throughassessing the likelihood of a disaster occurringand the level of impact it is likely to have. Basedon this a ‘risk score’ is created, and the potentialdisasters with the highest score are followedup. Figure 6 (opposite) provides an example ofthis system.

Other organisations or government departmentsmay have conducted risk assessments for thecountry. If this information is available, you canuse it to help produce your own risk assessment.However thesemay only look at risks on anational level. Risks can also be prioritised atthe local community level, whichmay requireadditional analysis.

Whenwriting your Disaster Preparedness Plan the information should be presented in a summarisedformat. Templates 3 and 4 can be used to help summarise information gathered through the analysisprocess. More detailed information can be included as annexes for reference if necessary.

Templates and Tables 3 and 4: Historical profilingmatrix and summarymatrix of risksidentified – Toolkit p51-52Tables 3 and 4 relate closely to Participatory tools 4 and 5, providing a format for presenting historicalrisk profiling and also for presenting a summary of risks that have been identified through thevulnerability and hazardmapping.

Participatory Tools 4 and 5: Vulnerability and risk analysis – Toolkit p30-34These two activities work together to build a picture of the risks present in the local community.Historical Risk Profiling allows participants to chart hazards which have affected communities in thepast, while community based vulnerability and hazardmapping looks at present risks andareas of vulnerability. The information gathered in these tools can be used to fill in Templatesand tables 3 and 4.

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Type of disaster Likelihood of Scale of Impact (1-5) Risk Scoreoccurrence (1-5)

Flooding in the 4 3 7Eastern region

Outbreak of conflict 2 2 4in capital city

Earthquake in 1 5 6Northern region

Look at the example of a risk assessment infigure 6 (above). In this example, the likelihood offlooding is very high, and is expected to have amoderately high level of impact, giving it anoverall risk score of 7. Compare this to ‘risk ofconflict’ which is neither likely to happen orexpected to have great impact. The likelihood ofan earthquake is very low, but the level of impactit would have is very high, giving it a score of 6.Many experts argue that when the potential levelof impact is very high then it should be plannedfor, even if the likelihood of it occurring isextremely low.

This is a very simple way of prioritising risks andit may be that there are other factors that need tobe included in the assessment process. Forexample, youmaywant to prioritise planning forrisks in regions where there is YMCA presenceto respond. Theremay also be localised risksidentified which would be better addressed bythe YMCA taking preventativemeasures, asopposed to planning for a response.Participatory tool 6 provides amethod forestablishing criteria for assessing risks to helpset out priorities.

FIGURE 6: Risk assessment example

Participatory Tools 6: Risk ranking – Toolkit p34In this tool participants can use the criteria included in Figure 6 (see above) and their own knowledgeand experiences to set priorities about which risks need to be planned for.

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2.2 Scenario development

Having established the priority risks to plan aresponse for, the next step is to write a scenariofor each one that providesmore details aboutwhat is likely to happen.

Scenario development is a very common toolused for disaster planning. The idea is that thescenario describes a predicted future event withenough detail for a response plan to be basedupon. It requires you to draw on the informationcollected in the analysis stage to create a storyreflecting what would happen in real life.

This means it should contain:• general information about the disaster,

location and scale of the event• a timeline of expected keymoments (early

warning indicators, initial impacts, secondaryimpacts, responses from community/otherorganisations)

• break-downof implications for different groups• expected actions of various organisations and

who they will target

No one expects the scenario descriptions toaccurately predict everything that would happenbut they should still contain enough detail for afull response plan to be based on. In the event ofthe disaster occurring, the plan would need to beadapted tomeet the exact circumstances.

Template 5 outlines the information you need toinclude in your written scenario. It does requireawareness of what other organisations are likelyto do in that event so will require externaldiscussions to establish this. Scenarios arelikely to be written at a national level but localbranchesmaywant to elaborate them for theirlocal context.

Templates and Tables 5: Scenario description template – Toolkit p53This table provides a template for participants describe a potential event, its impacts and thepredicted responses of others.

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STAGE 3: RESPONSE PLANNING

OverviewThis stage of the Guide relates to Section 3 in thefinal written plan and focuses on turning youranalysis into working plans. It first focuses onestablishing relevant response strategies anddeveloping objectives and activities beforeconsidering how to ensure theymeet goodpractice standards.

ObjectivesBy the end of this section participants willbe able to:1) Identify relevant response aims and produce

SMART objectives for proposed scenarios2) Produce clear activities which reflect

objectives3) Justify plans in relation to coordinated

response plans, good practice andinternational codes of conduct

Outputs1) Problem analysis2) Responses ranked by suitability and priority3) Scenario based response plans with aims,

objectives and activities

3.1 Establishing yourresponse strategy

For each scenario you have developed acorresponding plan now needs to be designedwhich responds to the impacts and needs ofaffected people described in the scenario.

Before establishing what type of responsestrategy you are going to implement (e.g.distributing food / non food items, providing aservice, offering training or advocating on behalfof any of the groups involved) there are a numberof questions which youwill need to be able toanswer and justify.

1) What needs are you intending to addressthrough your response (remembering youcan’t address everything)

2) Who is your response going to focus on? Isthere a specific group you have identified asvulnerable and in need of assistance?Whatcriteria will you use to identify yourbeneficiaries: age, gender, ethnic group,location, level of poverty?

3) Wherewill you focus your response? Is itacross the whole affected area or restrictedto specific locations?

4) Howmany people do you intend to reach?Will they be direct or indirect beneficiaries?

5) Whowill you work with and howwill you workwith the communities in question?

When answering these questions youwill needto use the information contained in the scenariodescription and relate it to:• past experiences in emergency response or

related activities (successes, challenges andlessons learnt)

• areas of expertise and good practice• strategic thematic interests of the

organisation• target beneficiary groups

When a priority response strategy has beenestablished check against the following:• Is the plan relevant to themission of the

organisation?• Is it realistic andwithin the capacity of the

organisation to undertake?• Does it duplicate response activities by other

organisations?

Thismay require you to share your initial planswith other relevant organisations to get theirfeedback on possible points of duplication.

Participatory Tools 7: Problem tree and response ranking – Toolkit p36This is a two-stage activity is designed to help you answer the questions listed above in a systematicand participatory way. It will first help you identify the needs and issues arising from the scenario,and then prioritise the type of responsemost suited to addressing these, while remaining relevant toyour organisation’s goals.

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FIGURE 7: SMART objectives MUST be

Specific – describe an action, behaviour or achievement that can be clearly observed.

Measurable – have ameasure, number percentage or frequency attached to the action that makes itpossible tomonitor success. It must be possible to collect this information; measures which can‘t betested should not be used.

Achievable – bewithin the capacity of the organisation / project to achieve, within the given timescaleand resources available. The objective should also give an indication of how it will be achieved – themethod, tool or resource being used.

Relevant – clearly relate to the overall aim and be relevant to the organisation’s experience, strategyandmission.

Time-bound – have a length of time or deadline attached to the activity.

3.2 Setting Aims, Objectivesand Activities

Once you have established the type and scopeof response youwant to undertake for each ofthe scenario descriptions, amore detailed planshould be prepared. This plan should include anaim alongwith a clear set of objectives and keyactivities.

Your aim should provide an overall view of whatyour response wants to achieve. Ideally it should

include information about the target group andthe type of support you intend to provide.Example aim: To support the psychosocialneeds of young people living in temporaryshelters as a result of damage to their homes andcommunities by the recent earthquake.

Your objectives should clearly relate to the aimand state exactly what your response is going todo. In order tomake this very clear, yourobjectives should beSMART (see Figure 7below.)

Exampleobjective:Within two months, 500young people will have had access to psychosocialcounselling through a peer-support network

This objective is SMART because it is:Specific: ‘access to psychosocial counselling’Measurable: ‘500 young people’Achievable: ‘through a peer-support network’Relevant: works towards the aim of supportingpsychosocial needs of young peopleTime-bound: ‘within twomonths’

The number of objectives depends on the sizeand scope of your response. Ideally you shouldhave between 2 and 5 objectives.

Your activities need to work towardsmeetingyour objectives. There should be a logical linkmade between the two. Using the exampleobjective given above, activities to achieve thismay include:

Example activities:1) Train 25 young people from within the

displaced community in peer counsellingtechniques

2) Each trained young person talks to 20 youngpeople in their location about their situationand provides support to them

Your activities should provide a clear picture ofwhat you are going to do; make sure they arespecific about numbers and locations and easyto follow. Keep inmind the assumptions that youhavemade in describing the scenario and anychallenges youmight face. Be clear about whythe activities you have developed are the bestway of responding to the situation and usingavailable resources.

Tables and Templates 6: Response Plan template – Toolkit p54Following on from completing the Scenario Description template, you can present your responseplans in Templates and Tables 6.

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3.3 Good practice inResponse Plans

Now that the outline of your objectives andactivities has been established this is a good timeto review them to ensure that they adequatelytake into account the principles established inpart one andmeet good practice standards.

Below is a checklist of ways to help youincorporate good practice and learning intoyour planning.

1. Refer to the ICRC code of conduct (see annex1) and consider how the principles ofhumanitarian practice are being adhered to

2. Review evaluations from past experiences insimilar or related areas; include lessons learntand recommendations from these into yourplanning (this may require talking to otherorganisations)

3. Check that youth and communityparticipation is addressed specifically in yourobjectives and activities

4. Discuss and share your plans with otherorganisations involved in emergencyresponse to gain their feedback and ensureagainst duplication

STAGE 4: ORGANISATIONALSYSTEMS PLANNING

OverviewStage four relates to sections 4 and 5 of the finalwritten report. The first part considers theorganisational functions and systems required tosupport disaster response projects. This includesreviewing administrative functions such asfinance, but also programmatic systems, such asmonitoring and evaluation so that they workwithin emergency situations. The second partlooks inwards at your organisation and asks whatresources, human, financial and physical areavailable to enable plans to be put into action andhow to plan to strengthen these withoutcompromising core activity responsibilities.

ObjectivesBy the end of this stage participants will:1) Develop appropriate administrative,

coordination and financial systems to supportthe response activities

2) Identify roles and responsibilities for key areasof work

3) Identify resources required for response plansand assess current gaps in capacity

Outputs1) Matrix summarising plans for supporting

functions and systems2) SWOT analysis of human resource capacities3) Tables documenting financial, physical and

human resources

4.1 Supporting programmaticand organisational systems

Once you have identified what youwant to do,youmust then focus on how youwill do it. Thesupporting functions or systems you currentlyhave in place for needs assessment, projectcoordination, finances andmonitoring andevaluationmay not be suitable in the event of anemergency response. For example, differentpeoplemay need to be involved in decisions andimplementation and youmight be operatingunder constrained circumstances. Theremayalso systems that you do not currently have at all,such as a system for early warningmonitoringandwhen to act.

This is a list of areas that you will need to plan for:1) Early warning and raising the alarm2) Needs assessment and response

coordination3) Human resources4) Finance

1. Processing andmanaging funds2. Obtaining funds3. Budgeting for your response

5) Monitoring and evaluation6) Child and youth protection

Set upworking groupsmade up of relevant staffand / or volunteers to address the different areas.It is essential that the right people participate inthis planning. Staff who take part in this will beable to learn through their participation,increasing their ability to put plans into action inthe future. If senior managers or a consultantmake these decisions on their own, this learningopportunity will bemissed. Theremay beoverlaps between different groups. Below aresome suggested discussion points for theworking groups to address.


Discussion points for OrganisationalSystemsReview

Early warning andwhen to act• What events, activities or situations could you

use to indicate that a disaster may be about tohappen?Where is this information availablefrom (think about joining relevant groups,monitoring websites, accessing national /regional early warning systems, communitylevel monitoring systems)

• Who has responsibility for monitoring theseindicators andwho should they report earlywarning alerts to?

• What resources are required tomonitor earlywarning?

• What are the criteria for launching a response,andwho decides when it is the time torespond.Whilst this may be clear for a fastonset hazard such as an earthquake, if theimpacts are felt more slowly, due to conflict ordrought, this may be less clear.

Emergency needs assessment andresponse coordination• Whowill manage the needs assessment?

(National and local levels)• Whatmethods will you use to establish the

exact scope and need for response? (Thinkabout information you need to collect andfromwhat sources? Can you accessinformation collected by other organisations?There are lots of online sources to help withthis. The ICRC has toolkits for emergencyneeds assessment in French, Spanish andEnglish)

• Are you familiar with theWAY emergencyprotocol andwhat is required to launch anappeal through theWorld Alliance?

• Whowill write the project proposal and thebudget?

• Are you aware ofWAY emergency appealtemplates, andwhat information is required tocomplete them?

• Whowill be responsible for implementing andmanaging the activities – think about this on anational and local level

Human resources• What will your human resource requirements

be – will you need to recruit new staff, orchange current staff’s job roles, will you needto request support from other YMCAs?

• If you intend to recruit, do you have systemscapable of rapidly employing people?

• Linemanagement – can you use your currentmanagement structures or will a differentreporting line be needed?

See additional information on p38

Financea) Processing andmanaging funds• Do you have financial systems that allow you

to rapidly accept and process large amountsof money?

• If in a worst-case scenario the banking systemwere to fail, would you still be able tomakecash transfers? How?

• Do you have rules about transporting cash, orsigning-off funding requests that would needto bemore flexible in an emergency?

• Do you have secure places to keepmoneyand important documentation?

b) Obtaining funds• If you have access to emergency funds within

your YMCA, are there rules about what it canbe used for, or howmuch?

• Do you have funds available within your ownorganisation to support response activitieswhilst funds are being found elsewhere? Howwould these be accessed?

• Do you know about external sources offunding locally or internationally you couldtarget?

See additional information on p40

c) Budgeting for your response• Do you have up-to-date information on costs

relating to travel, keymaterials, staff timewhich can be accessed quickly in the event ofan emergency

• Are you familiar with theWAY emergencyappeal budget template?

Participatory Tools 8: Sharing and summarising organisational systems – Toolkit p38This tool should be used at the end of the working group process, once participants feel happy thatthey have addressed the issues necessary and come upwith a workable plan.Whilst it is notnecessary for everyone involved to attend there should be at least one representative from each ofthe working groups plus any additional staff relevant to putting plans into action.

Templates and Tables 7: Summary table for systems review process – Toolkit p56This table accompanies the above participatory tool and provides a space for you to document keyoutcomes from theworking group discussions arising from the points included in Figure 7 (p34)


Monitoring and evaluation• Whowill be responsible for monitoring and

evaluation and collecting data (take intoaccount completing bi-weekly situationupdates, taking photos and collecting casestudies)?

• Do you already have a systemwhich could beadapted for use in an emergencyWill youneed to include additional sources ofinformation or data collectionmethods?

• Howwill beneficiaries be involved in themonitoring process?

• Where will data be stored – can you storesensitive data and information securely?

• Howwill you ensure that information beingcollected feeds into situation report updatesand also helps to improve the responseactivities you are implementing?

• Are you aware of the ICRC code of conduct(see annex 1). Howwill you use yourmonitoringto ensure that this code is adhered to?

Child and youth protection• Do you have a child and youth protection

policy in place and does it consideremergency situations?

• What additional risksmay vulnerable childrenand young people be exposed to in the eventof an emergency and how can you help toprotect them?

• Are there any other organisations withspecialist knowledge on child protection youcould coordinate with?

If undertaking a response to social unrest orconflict youmay need to think about securityissues, and how tomanage risks faced by staffand volunteers.

It is likely that during this process of reflectionand discussion youwill identify ideas which needfurther work to achieve, requiring the input ofresources or training tomake themwork. Theseshould be noted and form part of plans forimplementing the plan – discussed further inStage 5.

It is also important that decisions from theworking groups are sharedwith others, theparticipatory tool below provides a straight-forward way of sharing and summarisingoutcomes from each of the working groups

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4.2 Organisational capacityand resource availability

Response plansmust be backed upwithadequate resources; human, financial andphysical. This section focuses on how to identifyresource needs for disasters, where theremaybe gaps in these resources and how theseshould be filled.

4.2.1 Human resources:People are central to any emergency response.

1) Numbers are important when it comes todelivering services quickly, so it is importanttomap not just the staff you have, butvolunteers andmembers too, all of whichhave an important role to play. Having a clearpicture of howmany people there are andwhere they are locatedwill prove very valuableto your planning and response strategy.

The membership structure of YMCAs is a verystrong asset. Many relief agencies rely on localvolunteers but do not have access to localnetworks or have the necessary local knowledgeto work with them effectively. YMCA membershave experience in volunteering and a provencommitment to supporting their community. Ifyou want to partner with other organisations thisis a very valuable asset you can bring to thepartnership.

Templates and Tables 8: Staff and volunteers chart – Toolkit p57This is a simple table for you to input your staff andmembership numbers into.

2) Skills and knowledge are the other elementsthat add to your human capacity and alsoneed to bemapped. These include:• technical skills and knowledge (such as

knowledge of hazards, humanitariancodes of conduct, emergency needsassessment, first aid and so on)

• general skills (such asmanagingvolunteers, logistics, youth participation,contacts and networks)

Pick out a few key skills or areas of knowledgeyou think are essential to the response andmapthese against people. The practical exercisebelowwill help you to do this in a straightforwardmanner.

If you have found particular gaps in skills andknowledge required by your response thinkabout ways you could address this. Wouldtraining help or will you need additional staff,volunteers or members? Try to think about wherethese skills and knowledge lie outside yourorganisation. Do you have a partner who couldhelp youwith this or are there organisationslocally you could approach?

Participatory Tools 9:Mapping staff knowledge and skills – Toolkit p40This tool focuses on identifying knowledge and skills available within your staff, volunteers andmembers andwhich areasmay need strengthening.

Templates and Tables 9: Human resources SWOT chart – Toolkit p58Leading on fromParticipatory Tool 9, you can use this table to build a picture of the strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your organisation in order to best map and target areas ofvulnerability within the organisation.

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4.2.2 Financial resources:Before you go aheadwith any response you needto know how it will be paid for. Being clear aboutinternal funds available within your organisationas well knowingwhere funds can be accessedexternally will greatly speed up your ability torespondwith confidence. Table 10 contained inthe tools section should be filled in using thefollowing questions to prompt you.

• Do you havemoney that can be allocated toresponse activities, that does not detract fromcurrent project funds? Howmuch?

• Do you have funds available to pre-finance aresponse, before funds are received fromexternal sources? Howmuch?

• Howmuch could you expect to receive indonations frommembers / local branches tofund an emergency response?

• Howmuch can you expect to receive indonations from other YMCAs? If possible tryto contact your existing partners to find out ifthey have funds available for emergencies andwhat terms they attach to these.

• Are funds are available locally?Who are theyfrom and howmuch is available? Find outwhether you need to be official partners withan organisation or coalition of organisations toaccess their emergencymoney? Also be clearabout what procedures are there to requestfunds.

Templates and Tables 10: Financial resources table – Toolkit p59This is a simple table to present financial assets and resources.

4.2.3 Physical resourcesPhysical resources will also be required toimplement a response. Some of thesemay bereadily available and others less so. Table 11contains a suggested list of physical resources.Youwill need to add to this with any resourcesrelevant to your specific response plans.

Where you have identified gaps youmaywish toacquire these in advance of a disasterhappening, in which case this action point shouldbe included in your preparedness action plan.Before doing this think about:• Where youwould get them from?• Do you have to pay for them?• Could they be donated bymembers or by

other organisations as ‘in kind’ donations?• Would you be able to borrow them?• When do you need to have them?

Beware of stockpiling; some specialist reliefagencies gather essential relief items in advanceof an event, this is known as stockpiling.However YMCAs should only consider acquiringadditional disaster related assets if there is a veryclear and immediate need and if it will not takeaway from providing resources required by yourcore activities. Instead plan for how these couldbe acquired efficiently in the event of anemergency through purchasing, donationsor borrowing.

Templates and Tables 11: Physical resources table – Toolkit p60This is a straightforward table for presenting physical assets.

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STAGE 5: FINALISING THE PLANAND GETTING PREPARED

OverviewThe final stage of the Guide focuses on finalisingand producing the written preparedness plan. Itis therefore concernedwith drawing togetherinformation from all parts of the process,identifying key learning and priorities, andagreeing action points. In addition, this stageprovides support for evaluating the process andcapturing learning for next time. The last part ofthis stage encourages thinking about whatcomes next, thinking how the plan can be usedto build agreements and partnerships with otherorganisations both within and external to theYMCA network, andwhat it means for yourorganisation’s approach to disaster managementas a whole.

ObjectivesBy the end of this stage, participants will:• be able to establish an action plan which

maps activities and identifies responsibilitiesneeded to get the organisation ready toimplement their response plan if necessary

• be committed to implementing the action planand have clear deadlines and indicators forsuccess

• be able to summarise their findings from theplanning process into a written plan

This final stage in the disaster preparednessplanning process is about reflecting on all theplanning work you have done and pulling it alltogether into a written plan which can be sharedboth within and outside your organisation.

Outputs1) Action plan for implementation of

preparedness activities2) Written-up Disaster Preparedness Plan3) Evaluation of process

5.1. Compiling the information

Over the course of your preparedness planninginformation will have been gathered andproduced in a number of locations by differentpeople. It is important that all the information isbrought together and reviewed, before the finaldocument is produced.

Start by reviewing the process plan createdduring stage one to check that all intendedactivities and outputs have been completed andare available for review. Gather all data into acentral location ready to be reviewed. Youmaywant to do this by way of a workshop, whereinformation can be presented to stakeholdersto give them a full view of the process. This alsopresents an opportunity for questions to beanswered and any problems resolved beforethe plan is drafted.

If a general workshop is not possiblemake suretime is allocated for follow up questions to beasked and for data to be checkedwith thosewho originally produced it.

5.2 Reviewing the process

Aworkshop situation also provides an idealopportunity to gather feedback on the processof disaster preparedness planning for yourevaluation. The participatory tool below has beendesigned to help youwith evaluating the processand capturing learning for future preparednessupdating exercises.

Participatory Tools 10 and 11: Evaluating the process – Toolkit p42-44These two tools are designed to help you evaluate the process in a participative and simple way.Participatory Tool 10: The Evaluation Bus looks at the different stages of the disaster preparednessplanning process to identify strengths andweaknesses and opportunities for improvement. Tool 11:Hitting the target considers the underlying principles of disaster preparedness planning and howwellthe process and final product adheres to these.

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5.3 Action planning

Throughout your planning process future actions,tasks and resources will have been identified forfollow up. These need to be compiled into anaction planningmatrix. This matrix which shouldinclude information about responsibilities andmonitoring will help tomap out how thepreparedness plan becomes a reality.

It is important that this action plan is agreed toby key stakeholders to ensure that action pointshaven’t beenmissed and that everyone iscommitted to their roles andmotivated to actupon the issues.

*Make sure that one of the action points includedis the date when the preparedness plan will beupdated.

5.4 Finalising the WrittenPreparedness Plan

Now that the planning activities have come to anend, it is time to finalise the written plan thatdocuments the information you have gatheredand decisions that have beenmade. The writtenplan is important because it offers an easy wayto share your thinking with partners and otherrelevant organisations. It can also act as areference tool for you in the event of a disaster,and as a basis for future preparedness planning.

Templates, tables and examples have beenprovided to help you present your information

and decisions in concise formats. These can allbe found in section three of the accompanyingToolkit. Youmaywish to adapt these formats tobetter suit the information youwish to present.The suggested structure of the report can befound in Figure 2 on page 22 of the Guide.

Before signing off the written plan, it is a goodidea to get feedback on it. A review panel madeup of internal and external people is a goodwayof doing this. Ideally this groupwill providedifferent perspectives and expertise for finalisingthe document. Suggestions that you can’t followup at this time should be documented to helpfeed into future preparedness planning activities.

Templates and Tables 12: Preparedness action plan table – Toolkit p61Use this template to chart the actions that need to ne completed in order to put theDisaster Preparedness Plan into place.

Templates and Tables 13: Structure of written Disaster Preparedness Plan – Toolkit p62Here youwill find an outline of the basic structure for a disaster preparedness plan.Whilst the detailswill vary from organisation to organisation, this list provides a starting point outlining key areas thatshould be included in the plan.

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5.5 What next?

5.5.1 Sharing and communicating your planNow that you have completed the preparednessplanning process and have a written plan you canstart to think about how this can be built on in thefuture. There are something basic things whichyou can do:1) Share you planswith your regional alliance.

In the event of a disaster they are likely to bethe first people you inform somake sure theyare clear about what you intend to do inadvance. Discuss with themways that theycan support your plan, either through raisingawareness across the region or throughtechnical and coordination support.

2) Upload your plan to theWAY extranet.This will mean your plan can support YMCAsgoing through the same process and alsointroduce your plans to YMCAswhomaynot knowmuch about your work otherwise.

3) Inform your YMCApartners aboutyour preparedness plan.Many YMCAInternational Partners are interested insupporting capacity building initiatives.Discuss with themwhat they can do tosupport your response plans and ongoingpreparedness activities. Theymay beinterested in providing resources or technicalsupport now, or commit in advance tosupporting you in the event of a disaster.

4) Share planswith other local or nationalorganisations and agencies.Your plancould offer a starting point for discussionsfor coordination or future support. It will alsohelp to ensure that your plans are takeninto account of wider planning activities.

5) Maintain relationships developed throughthe process.A valuable outcome ofdisaster preparedness planning will be therelationships built through its process. Theserelationshipsmay bewith communities andleaders, external groups and organisationsand even internal relationships betweencolleagues. It is important these aremaintained and built on for future successes.

5.5.2. Prevention before responseBeing a disaster prepared organisation is a greatstep to take towards the aim of reducing theimpact of disasters on young people’s lives.It is not however the end of the story, as we knowthat prevention is amuchmore effective strategythan response.

Where vulnerabilities have been identified,start to think how principle five ‘preventionbefore response’ can be put into practice.Are there ways that the YMCA can support thecommunities themselves to becomemoreprepared and less vulnerable to the hazards thatthey face? The information collected through thisprocess offers very valuable needs assessmentdata for future project development.Don’t forgetto use it.


ANNEX 1: ICRC CODE OF CONDUCT

Code of conduct for The International Red Crossand RedCrescentMovement and NGOsin Disaster Relief

Principle commitments:1. The Humanitarian imperative comes first.2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or

nationality of the recipients andwithoutadverse distinction of any kind. Aid prioritiesare calculated on the basis of need alone.

3. Aid will not be used to further a particularpolitical or religious standpoint.

4. We shall endeavour not to act as instrumentsof government foreign policy.

5. We shall respect culture and custom.6. We shall attempt to build disaster response

on local capacities.7. Ways shall be found to involve programme

beneficiaries in themanagement of relief aid.8. Relief aidmust strive to reduce future

vulnerabilities to disaster as well asmeetingbasic needs.

9. We hold ourselves accountable to both thosewe seek to assist and those fromwhomweaccept resources.

10. In our information, publicity and advertisingactivities, we shall recognise disaster victimsas dignified human beings, not hopelessobjects.

FULL CODE OF CONDUCT

Principles of Conduct for The International RedCross and RedCrescentMovement and NGOsin Disaster Response Programmes

1: TheHumanitarian imperative comes firstThe right to receive humanitarian assistance, andto offer it, is a fundamental humanitarian principlewhich should be enjoyed by all citizens of allcountries. Asmembers of the internationalcommunity, we recognise our obligation toprovide humanitarian assistance wherever it isneeded. Hence the need for unimpeded accessto affected populations, is of fundamentalimportance in exercising that responsibility. Theprimemotivation of our response to disaster is toalleviate human suffering amongst those leastable to withstand the stress caused by disaster.Whenwe give humanitarian aid it is not a partisanor political act and should not be viewed as such.

2: Aid is given regardless of the race, creedor nationality of the recipients andwithoutadverse distinction of any kind. Aid prioritiesare calculated on the basis of need aloneWherever possible, wewill base the provisionof relief aid upon a thorough assessment ofthe needs of the disaster victims and the localcapacities already in place tomeet those needs.Within the entirety of our programmes, wewillreflect considerations of proportionality. Humansufferingmust be alleviated whenever it is found;life is as precious in one part of a country asanother. Thus, our provision of aid will reflectthe degree of suffering it seeks to alleviate. Inimplementing this approach, we recognise thecrucial role played by women in disaster pronecommunities andwill ensure that this role issupported, not diminished, by our aidprogrammes. The implementation of such auniversal, impartial and independent policy, canonly be effective if we and our partners haveaccess to the necessary resources to providefor such equitable relief, and have equal accessto all disaster victims.

3: Aidwill not be used to further a particularpolitical or religious standpointHumanitarian aid will be given according to theneed of individuals, families and communities.Not withstanding the right of non-governmentalhumanitarian associations (NGHAs) to espouseparticular political or religious opinions, we affirmthat assistance will not be dependent on theadherence of t he recipients to those opinions.Wewill not tie the promise, delivery or distributionof assistance to the embracing or acceptance ofa particular political or religious creed.

4:We shall endeavour not to act asinstruments of government foreign policyNGHAs are agencies that act independently fromgovernments.We therefore formulate our ownpolicies and implementation strategies and donot seek to implement the policy of anygovernment, except in so far as it coincides withour own independent policy.Wewill neverknowingly - or through negligence - allowourselves, or our employees, to be used to gatherinformation of a political, military or economicallysensitive nature for governments or other bodiesthat may serve purposes other than those whichare strictly humanitarian, nor will we act asinstruments of foreign policy of donorgovernments.Wewill use the assistance wereceive to respond to needs and this assistanceshould not be driven by the need to dispose of


donor commodity surpluses, nor by the politicalinterest of any particular donor. We value andpromote the voluntary giving of labour andfinances by concerned individuals to support ourwork and recognise the independence of actionpromoted by such voluntarymotivation. In orderto protect our independencewewill seek to avoiddependence upon a single funding source.

5:We shall respect culture and customWewill endeavour to respect the culture,structures and customs of the communities andcountries we are working in.

6:We shall attempt to build disaster responseon local capacitiesAll people and communities - even in disaster -possess capacities as well as vulnerabilities.Where possible, wewill strengthen thesecapacities by employing local staff, purchasinglocal materials and trading with local companies.Where possible, wewill work through localNGHAs as partners in planning andimplementation, and co-operate with localgovernment structures where appropriate. Wewill place a high priority on the proper co-ordination of our emergency responses. This isbest donewithin the countries concerned bythosemost directly involved in the reliefoperations, and should include representatives ofthe relevant UN bodies.

7:Ways shall be found to involve programmebeneficiaries in themanagement of relief aidDisaster response assistance should never beimposed upon the beneficiaries. Effective reliefand lasting rehabilitation can best be achievedwhere the intended beneficiaries are involved inthe design, management and implementation ofthe assistance programme.Wewill strive toachieve full community participation in our reliefand rehabilitation programmes.

8: Relief aidmust strive to reduce futurevulnerabilities to disaster aswell asmeetingbasic needsAll relief actions affect the prospects for long termdevelopment, either in a positive or a negativefashion. Recognising this, wewill strive toimplement relief programmes that activelyreduce the beneficiaries' vulnerability to futuredisasters and help create sustainable lifestyles.Wewill pay particular attention to environmentalconcerns in the design andmanagement of reliefprogrammes.Wewill also endeavour tominimisethe negative impact of humanitarian assistance,

seeking to avoid long-term beneficiarydependence upon external aid.

9:We hold ourselves accountable to boththosewe seek to assist and those fromwhomwe accept resourcesWeoften act as an institutional link in thepartnership between those whowish to assistand those who need assistance during disasters.We therefore hold ourselves accountable to bothconstituencies. All our dealings with donors andbeneficiaries shall reflect an attitude of opennessand transparency.We recognise the need toreport on our activities, both from a financialperspective and the perspective of effectiveness.We recognise the obligation to ensureappropriatemonitoring of aid distributions and tocarry out regular assessments of the impact ofdisaster assistance.Wewill also seek to report, inan open fashion, upon the impact of our work,and the factors limiting or enhancing that impact.Our programmeswill be based upon highstandards of professionalism and expertise inorder tominimise the wasting of valuableresources.

10: In our information, publicity andadvertising activities, we shall recognisedisaster victims as dignified humans, nothopeless objectsRespect for the disaster victim as an equalpartner in action should never be lost. In ourpublic information we shall portray an objectiveimage of the disaster situation where thecapacities and aspirations of disaster victims arehighlighted, and not just their vulnerabilities andfears. While wewill co-operate with themedia inorder to enhance public response, wewill notallow external or internal demands for publicity totake precedence over the principle of maximisingoverall relief assistance.Wewill avoid competingwith other disaster response agencies for mediacoverage in situations where such coveragemaybe to the detriment of the service provided to thebeneficiaries or to the security of our staff or thebeneficiaries.

Y Care International is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee,registered in England and Wales. Charity no: 1109789. Company no: 3997006.Registered office: Kemp House, 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NP.

Y Care International is the international relief anddevelopment agency of the YMCA in the UK and Ireland.It works in partnership with YMCAs in Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica and the Middle East to empower young peopleand their communities to find alternatives to a futureof poverty and disadvantage, and to build lives andcommunities marked by hope and positive change.

Y Care InternationalKemp House152-160 City RoadLondon EC1V 2NPUnited Kingdom

Tel +44 (0)20 7549 3150Fax +44 (0)20 7549 [email protected]

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