Moroke Sekoboto
THE World Vision Lesotho’s Consolidating and Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction (CSDRR) project has been hailed as a success, marking a significant step forward in helping communities anticipate and respond to disasters.
Funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the project aimed to reduce disaster risks through improved early warning systems and community preparedness.
Speaking at a stakeholder workshop held this week at Lehakoe Recreational Centre, the CSDRR Project Manager, ‘Mamokobo Lebeko, said the initiative was designed to strengthen local governance structures.
“We wanted to ensure communities can quickly access and act on risk information and early warnings. This helps lessen the impact of disasters, especially hydro-meteorological and geological hazards that many areas in Lesotho frequently face,” Ms Lebeko said.
Launched in 2023, the CSDRR project builds on previous ECHO-funded initiatives, consolidating past gains in disaster risk management. It has been rolled out in some of the country’s most hard-to-reach districts: Maseru, Mokhotlong, Leribe, and Thaba-Tseka. The project has focused on improving logistical preparedness, building local capacity for early action, and coordinating risk information across different sectors.
According to Ms Lebeko, a major focus was strengthening the Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) and ensuring that alerts led to timely and effective responses.
“We worked on boosting logistics readiness, including emergency stockpiles and training in how to manage them. We also worked to improve collaboration between local and national institutions to ensure disaster preparedness is mainstreamed into all sectors.”
The project also helped schools improve their readiness to handle emergencies and supported households with a special crisis response mechanism to manage rapid-onset disasters.
“Early warning systems are vital in disaster risk reduction. They give real-time alerts and help communities stay one step ahead,” Ms Lebeko said.
But she also noted gaps in current systems, which pointed to the need for continued improvement in how risk information is shared and acted upon.
The Disaster Management Authority (DMA) Stakeholder Manager, Tšepang Maama, echoed these sentiments, describing the project as a major achievement despite facing some hurdles along the way.
“We succeeded in building capacity from the community level up to the national level. We also managed to advocate for disaster risk reduction in Parliament and integrated it into the primary school curriculum,” Ms Maama said.
Although the project nearing its completion, Ms Maama said the work is far from over.
“We are committed to continuing with the momentum. We will strengthen partnerships, improve coordination, and keep building resilience to safeguard people’s livelihoods.”
Senior Inspector Petje Teke from the Police Child and Gender Protection Unit also addressed the workshop, stressing that disasters can create opportunities for crime, especially when systems are overwhelmed.
“Being prepared for disasters also means being ready to prevent and respond to criminal activity. That’s why we partnered with other institutions to form District Risk Reduction Teams. Together, we have worked to ensure the project remains sustainable,” Snr Insp Teke said.
