This training was completed as part of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society (VRCS) Building Resilient Communities in Vanuatu (BRCV) program.
Natural Disasters and the risks and vulnerabilities that it poses to shelter and settlements are on the rise. Adequate funding is not always generated for the reconstruction and the recovery needs of communities that are affected.
PASSA is a participatory approach preparedness tool that helps develop local capacity to reduce shelter related risk by raising awareness and developing skills in joint analysis, learning and decision-making at community level. The application of PASSA is particularly useful for gender mainstreaming where shelter risks are often viewed through different lenses by men and women. Thus, a more holistic picture of shelter risk is obtained and can in turn be addressed. Furthermore, PASSA by its nature can enhance social capital, reinforcing/strengthening community resilience to disaster.
PASSA draws upon the well-established practice of community action planning, and the participatory tools/approaches such as Vulnerability Capacity Assessment (VCA), Participatory Health And Sanitation Tranfromation (PHAST) and Community Base Health and First Aid (CBHFA) methodology used by many National Societies. For Vanuatu Red Cross Society, VCA could be the entry point to PASSA in the communities.
Given the exposure of the archipelago of Vanuatu to natural hazards and the extensive damages to shelter and settlements witnessed during past events, VRCS recognizes the value in investing more in shelter preparedness and has reached out to IFRC for technical and financial support to build capacity of the NS in this area.
This training for staff and volunteers from all six provinces is the first step in the process on the way to reaching communities in Vanuatu with PASSA programs as a part of the VRCS BRCV program.
The overall objective of this Training of Facilitators was for the course participants to be able to facilitate the PASSA activities and manage the PASSA process at the community level.
Specifically, this training aims to:
Explain the purpose of PASSA and its place in shelter programmes, and describe how it is supposed to work at community level;
Describe the PASSA methodology, including the purpose and process of each activity, and the links between activities;
Explain essential shelter safety principles and how they apply in the local context;
Outline the steps in each of the 8 PASSA activities and the materials required;
Demonstrate the skills required for facilitating PASSA activities.
Outcomes achieved:
Vanuatu Red Cross now has 25 trained PASSA facilitators. Out of these, 21 are from the 6 provinces (Sanma, Torba, Shefa, Penama, Malampa, Tafea) and 4 are from the National Office.
2 out of the 18 participants from Malampa Province only managed to join the training from the second day of the training (13th of August). They couldn’t join from the first day since they missed the interconnecting flight from Port Vila to Tanna.
Most participants indicated that they are now more familiar with the PASSA approach and aspects of PASSA, are able to explain essential safety shelter principles and how they apply in the local context, and feel they are able to demonstrate skills required for facilitation of PASSA activities.
During the training, each of the provinces started to develop their PASSA implementation plans.
Training Date: 12 - 16 August 2019
Location: Tanna Island