When designing disaster risk reduction strategies there is a need for local and national governments to identify priority strategies for building resilient livelihoods at the community level. There is also a need for the national government to monitor hazard threats and disseminate information on disaster risks through early warning systems. It calls for communication and coordination within those most “at risk”.
The government should empower vulnerable individuals and communities so that they will be in a position to identify appropriate Disaster
Risk Strategies (DRR) strategies and utilize their knowledge for the betterment of their lives. Policymakers should make local knowledge on DRR strategies at the community level be listened to and respected. They should make sure that community stakeholders go beyond rhetoric and commit themselves to actual results, especially in terms of communities‟ participation in disaster risk reduction initiatives. In addition, they should make sure that DRR
practices be embedded in local culture as well as social and economic contexts. Hence, there is a need for a dialogue among community leaders in the process of designing disaster risk reduction strategies so as to reduce local community disaster risks. The government should invest in resources mainly for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities. Providing enough resources to DRR activities is essential for building community resilience as well as building a platform for dealing with recent and persistent risks. Such resources would assist in putting up
an important base for proficient risk management and prevention of new risks, leading to safer
rural communities.
There should be structural mechanisms from national to community levels that strengthen appropriate resource mobilization and allocation that would then help to positively influence DRR initiatives. Resilient communities are those empowered with the appropriate resources necessary to reduce their vulnerability to disasters. Hence, the poor and marginalized communities like Mhondoro-Ngezi District should be empowered. Resources for DRR in rural
communities should be enhanced so as to develop disaster risk reduction strategies suitable for different communities. The government support should be in line with the community‟s needs and culture so that it
would instigate unwarranted hazards. In addition to that, the government should endeavour to afford community DRR strategic alternatives that are financially realistic, friendly, and viable. The government support is needed to reinforce local knowledge and capacity. For community DRR strategies to be strengthened, it is imperative to align it with the national DRR policies and frameworks which must be oriented toward the context and needs of vulnerable communities.
The central government should endeavour to create effective channels of communication from the grassroots upwards. Similarly, national policies and plans must cascade down to local levels to ensure that they are executed effectively and allow communities to respond to all matters that affect their day-to-day lives. Furthermore, the government should make it a policy that DRR activities adopt a participatory approach, with consultations at all levels of the DRR endeavours. This would ensure that all community members are involved in the designing and development of sustainable strategies for effective and sustainable disaster risk reduction.
You can submit your article for consideration at the Tanzania Journal of Community Development (TAJOCODE) at https://www.coa.sua.ac.tz/extension/tanzania-journal-of-community-development-tajocode