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Algeria: South, West, and North Africa - Disaster Risk Reduction Fact Sheet #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2009

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Source: US Agency for International Development
Country: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

BACKGROUND

Many countries in Africa are beset by a range of disasters, from complex emergencies to drought, floods, cyclones, and earthquakes. Climate variability, rapid population growth, environmental and natural resource degradation, lack of economic development, and rapid urbanization further compound the risks by increasing populations' vulnerability to disasters. During the last two decades, cities across Africa have rapidly expanded, increasingly in areas prone to floods, landslides, earthquakes, and other hazards. Rapidly growing cities are outpacing the capacity of poorly resourced local authorities to provide and maintain essential services. In addition, protracted complex emergencies have resulted in largescale displacement and increased populations' vulnerability to natural hazards. USAID/OFDA is committed to assisting in the development of preparedness, mitigation, and emergency response capacities. USAID/OFDA has provided more than $31 million for ongoing DRR programs in south, west, and north Africa, including more than $24 million in FY 2009.

DRR ASSISTANCE FOR SOUTH, WEST, AND NORTH AFRICA

USAID/OFDA Assistance in FY 2009: $24,087,700
USAID/OFDA Cumulative Assistance for Active Programs: $31,110,553

REGIONAL PROGRAMS

- Periperi-U: To meet the increasing demands for skilled professionals to reduce and manage disaster risks in Africa, USAID/OFDA has supported the Partners Enhancing Resilience to People Exposed to Risks - Universities (Periperi U) program since FY 2006. Periperi U is an innovative program that aims to strengthen the capacity of 10 African universities in disaster-related scholarship and practice. The multi-year program is the first of its kind in Africa and provides a continent-wide platform for higher education, training, and research in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian action in English, French, Swahili, Portuguese, and Arabic-speaking universities. Periperi U supports institutional development through a multi-pronged approach that comprises short course training, formal education, local research, and policy advocacy. In FY 2008, USAID/OFDA initiated a second, three-year phase of the Periperi U program to expand the network to include 10 institutions throughout the continent. The Periperi U network currently includes universities in Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. The program also includes plans for collaboration with universities in francophone regions, as well as in southern Africa and Kenya. Periperi U aims to train up to 600 students and practitioners in 10 countries through 2011. To date, USAID/OFDA has provided a total of $2,198,099 for the program, including $1 million in FY 2009.

- Zambezi River Basin Initiative: USAID/OFDA is supporting a three-year initiative implemented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and a related program led by the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to reduce flood vulnerability in the seven countries which encompass the Zambezi river basin - Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. IFRC will help vulnerable communities adapt to climate-related threats such as flooding through conservation-based farming techniques, soil conservation, water-harvesting techniques, and reforestation. IFRC will also build DRR and disaster management capacity in both riverine communities and local Red Cross branches. USAID/OFDA has provided a total of $1 million for the program to date.

- Zambezi River Flood Early Warning and Mitigation: Complementing IFRC's efforts, the WMO, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and national meteorological and hydrological services and disaster management entities are supporting an initiative to assess flood early warning capacity in riparian countries and to formulate a consensus strategy. Focusing on basinwide cooperation and an integrated approach to flood early warning, the activity will address the technical, institutional, and capacity-building issues related to developing flood preparedness and early warning systems. The strategy and IFRC programming will help link technology to communities, encouraging the development of a South, West, and North Africa DRR Programs - September 30, 2009 framework for a sustainable, integrated flood early warning and mitigation in the Zambezi basin. To date, USAID/OFDA has provided $451,000 for the program.


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