Key activities of the
community based
approach
equally important stages which bookend the process
– the Mobilisation Stage in the beginning and the PostConstruction Stage after construction is finalised.
SECTION II: OVERVIEW
When a community-based approach is used in a hazardprone location, several key activities can help ensure school
safety. First, the design must be responsive to the needs of the
students, staff and community. Second, the community must
gain knowledge and skills for disaster risk reduction. Each
of the five stages is briefly described below, along with the
advantages and challenges of a community-based approach.
School construction projects, whether community-based
or external, follow similar processes. These projects have
a core Planning, Design and Construction Stage. In a
community-based construction approach, there are two
Government agencies provide:
•
•
•
•
Strategic planning
and mobilisation
• Diagnostics
• Tools
Identification
• Raise awareness
• Form school
management
committee
Policies, standards, codes, and guidelines
Technical experts
Approvals, inspection, and oversight
Funds
Community
planning
• Needs
assessment
• Feasibility study
• Draft
implementation
plan
Local community
provides:
Community
design
• Pre-design
consultation
• Schematic design
• Design finalisation
• Selection of
construction
management
strategy
Community
construction
• Construction
monitoring and
site supervision
• Building local
capacity
• Practising and
communicating
safety
Post-construction
• Development of
Maintenance and
User Manuals
• School handover
• Development
of maintenance
plans
• Support a culture
of safety
• Scale up
and promote
accountability
School management committee
• Preferences
• Labour
• Local knowledge
Commitment
to safer schools
Implementing organisation
(e.g. NGO, CBO, local authority) provides:
• Program manager
to facilitate process
• Experts
• Training
• Funding
• Project scope
In the five stages of community-based construction of safer schools, school management committees play a central role, providing their
preferences, local knowledge and labour. The implementing organisation, whether an NGO, community-based organisation or local authority,
provides experts, training, funds and project scope. They facilitate the process through a program manager. Government agencies at the
central and local level provide the policy context and approval process. They may also provide technical experts and funding.
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