1. Building Resilient Communities: Disaster
Preparedness, Response and Risk
Management through Youth and Community-
Driven volunteer Operations
Proposal Submitted for AEIF
By Seema Zahid (PELI-2011 Alumni)

2. Introduction
Communities can be considered as being
‘resilient’ when they respond to crises in ways
that strengthen communal bonds, resources
and the community's capacity to cope.
Pakistan is vulnerable to disaster risks from a
range of natural and human induced hazards,
rendering tremendous loss to lives and
properties.

3. Contd..2
The aim is only be achievable with its
optimum results by involving the significant
support of the community and youth.
The root cause of escalating damages in
developing countries, like Pakistan, has been
the lack of disaster preparedness and
management.
It is necessary to establish institutional and
technical mechanism for preparedness,
mitigation, response and recovery activities.

4. Contd..3
Pakistan currently has one of the largest
cohorts of young people in its history, with
nearly 54.2 million individuals – above half of
its population.
This group, if provided proper opportunities of
education and leadership, will play a crucial
role in the socio-economical development of
the country, moreover, they will serve as the
greatest workforce available to response a
disaster in their community.

5. Contd..4
Volunteering can also improve employability
by developing skills that employers value.
Volunteering will be helpful to enhance youth
leadership in disaster preparedness projects
while fostering civic responsibility.

6. Goals
This project aims to build a trained, prepared,
engaged and disaster resilient society for
future. There are two primary aspects; the
first includes the importance of mitigation and
avoiding disaster in that manner. The second
is through preparation for and response to a
disaster.

7. Objectives
• To sensitize society and specially youth on the significance and benefits of
volunteerism and disaster preparedness;
• To help the government and private sector teachers, students, NGOs and
community organizations in developing skills and work plans for disaster
management
• To train youth, communities, vulnerable groups, grassroots organizations
and institutional authorities in high risk areas with resources and
capacities to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
• To enhance the capacities and skills of volunteers through research and
training.
• To develop curriculum on various facets of disaster management;
• To undertake study, research and other related activities on disaster
management;
• To develop linkages and build partnerships with national and international
academic institutions;
• To develop network of disaster management professionals working in
various disciplines in country and abroad;
• Publish newsletters, manuals, research articles and audiovisuals to raise
disaster risk awareness among general public;
• Establish and maintain database about disasters in the country;

8. Outline
• Project members will attend a meeting and a core group
will be formed having at least one member from different
parts of the country. The core group will plan and mange
the activities of project. The core group will also be
responsible for developing literature/curriculum for future
training workshops.
• Area Committees will be formed to plan and execute
project activities in their high disaster risk areas.
• Each area committee with the supervision of core
committee will plan a training workshop in their high risk
areas for at least 30 volunteer master trainers (total 5
workshops).
• 30 Master trainers of each workshop will form 10 teams of
3 members each to conduct youth volunteers’ workshops in
school, colleges and universities (total 50 workshops).
• Each student volunteer will make 2 more friends from
school or community involved in the process.
• The successes and lesson learned will be scaled up and
implemented in other cities and town of high disaster risk.

9. Timeline
• Grant awarded May 2012
• Project inception meeting of the participants June 2012
• Consultation and Preparation of Curriculum June-August
2012
• Conducting Master Trainer workshops October-
December 2012
• Holding Students workshops January2013-
March2013
• Formal Launching of Website First Week of
April 2013
• Linking the volunteer groups with DDMA Second Week
of April 2013
• Wrap up 16-30 April 2013

10. Anticipated Outcomes
• 150 trained Master trainers to work as volunteer in Disaster Preparedness
and Risk Management.
• 2500 trained youth volunteers with another 2500 volunteers will be
available to responds and manage a natural or manmade disaster in their
locality/community.
• Networking and building connections with other
individuals/organization/vulnerable groups working in the same field.
• Preparing youth especially to work for relief camps to save the public
property and to manage the project properly
• Development of a manuals/literature/curriculum for emergency situations
• Five workshops in different high risk areas targeting 150 participants
• Use of ICT and social media for disaster preparedness and respond.
• An updated website and blog for disaster management will be created
• Database will be prepared and maintained for disaster management.
• Disaster preparedness will be highlighted as socially and economically
beneficial process for the communities on high risk. An updated website
and blog for disaster management will be created.
• Community awareness material will be prepared and distributed in order
to develop a prepared, engaged, and resilient society for future.
• Project outcomes will be scaled up in a form of social movement as a
continued process all over the country.

11. INNOVATION
• The project is focusing on volunteerism which is
the new concept for school and college students.
The program consists of lecture on volunteerism,
personal experience in volunteering, team
building activities, field visit to an NGO on
volunteering activity and debating skill required
for disaster preparedness, response and risk
management.
• Sustainability, follow up and evaluation of the
project
• A website will be developed to register all the
volunteers trained in this project and will be

12. Team Members:
1. Seema Zahid (PeLI-2011 9. Muhammad Talha Qureshi-
Alumni) (YES4 Alumni), Karachi
2. Zahid Abbas Jatoi (PeLI- 10. Asna Hassan: (YES3
2011 Alumni) Karachi Alumni). Karachi
3. Azra Bhatti(PeLI-2011 11. Babar Ali: (US State
Alumni) Hyderabad Department Space Program
4. Azra Khaskheli(PeLI-2011 Alumni), karachi
Alumni) Sindh 12. Asifa Naz(PeLI-2011
5. Asma shaheen(PeLI-2011 Alumni) Lahore
Alumni) Karachi 13. Sana Ejaz (PeLI-2011
6. Samina Javaid(PeLI-2011 Alumni) KPK
Alumni) Islamabad 14. Syed Ashraf ud din (PeLI-
7. Naseem Pirzada(PeLI-2011 2011 Alumni), Balochistan
Alumni) Shaheed 15. Sultan Alam (PELI-2010
Benazirabad Alumni), Gilgit-Baltistan
8. Uzma Hafeez(PELI-2005
Alumni) Karachi

13. Experts and Consultants:
•
Victor H. Esch, Jr.
Senior Advisor, Ministry of Defense Disaster Response Directorate at
N.A.T.O. TRAINING MISSION , Afghanistan
• Randy Roberson
Chief Science Officer at AllHumanity Inc.
Chair and Executive Director Humanitarian Aid Services Teamat Millennial
Foundation, Inc.
Consultant at R2 Emergency Technologies
• Allyson Zoby Kuriger
Senior Emergency Planner with a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional
Planning. I have over 13 years of experience in the field, starting with
managing FEMA’s Project Impact program and being the first State Hazard
Mitigation Planner for Virginia.
Arshad Khan Khalafzai (Disaster Risk Reduction/ Disaster Management
Consultant at UNICEF, Pakistan)
Maqsood Khan (Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Preparedness and Risk
Management-University of Peshawar)

14. Supporting Organizations
1. Hisaar Foundation
2. PTCL Employees Union (CBA) Having union
Volunteer (25,000) and infrastructure through
out Pakistan
3. All Pakistan Government School Teachers
Association (APGSTA) (Affiliated with Education
International).
4. CMIS (Sub-committee (CSR) of FPCCI

15. Budget
•
Total Requested Amount: 30150$
Total Grant Offered: 25000$
Cost share: 3,600$ with following break ups:
1. Project Office: 6 Months. (6X200) 1,200$
2. Vehicle rent: 6 Months (6X400) 2,400$
Grant total: 33,750$.
The requested amount of fund is negotiable and may be adjusted.
• Total Funding Requested:
• 30,150

16. Thank You