PROPOSAL VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY - ifrc.org · PROPOSAL VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY MANGROVE PLANTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PROGRAMME 2011-2015 November 2011 Supported by

PROPOSAL

VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY

MANGROVE PLANTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

PROGRAMME

2011-2015

November 2011

Supported by

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Background .................................................................................................................................. 2

2. Goal, Objectives and Outcomes ................................................................................................. 4

3. Targeted Beneficiaries................................................................................................................ 5

4. Problem Analysis (Including Needs Assessment) ................................................................... 6

5. Analysis of Solutions (Key Project Components) ................................................................... 10

6. Project Logframe, including Progress/Results Indicators....................................................... 13

7. Plan of action ............................................................................................................................. 13

8. Management Structure/Human Resources ............................................................................ 13

9. Coordination .............................................................................................................................. 14

10. Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................................................................ 14

11. Capacity building and sustainability ......................................................................................... 15

12. Budget......................................................................................................................................... 15

13. Appendices ................................................................................................................................. 16



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PROPOSAL

VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY

MANGROVE PLANTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PROGRAMME 2011-2015

No of beneficiaries: 125,000 (direct) and 2 million (indirect) people in 356 communes in 72 districts within 10 provinces;1 1400 VNRC staff (direct) Budget: CHF 2.4 million (JPY 215 million) Duration: 5 years Strategy area: From VNRC Strategy 2020:

1. Disaster preparedness and response, relief operations, rehabilitation and recovery

OD priorities: 2) Mobilising funds for Red Cross activities 3) Strengthening the organisational structure

Managed by: Vietnam Country Office 1. Background

Context Project History The Mangrove Plantation/Disaster Risk Reduction (MP/DRR) project of the Vietnam Red Cross (VNRC) began in 1994 in Thai Binh province, with support from the Danish Red Cross (DRC). The DRC extended their assistance to Nam Dinh Province in 1997, while the IFRC received funding from the Japanese Red Cross (JRC) to commence the project in another six provinces: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh. The DRC-supported project ended in 2005 after three phases and 11 years. The IFRC/JRC assistance ran for two phases, and continued into a third phase over 2006-10, incorporating Thai Binh and Nam Dinh. The MP/DRR project initially focused on coastal environmental protection through the re-establishment of mangrove forests on deserted mudflats. The project gradually evolved into a broad scheme to protect dykes and coastal communities from typhoons and floods, stretching across eight coastal provinces in northern Viet Nam. From 2001, disaster preparedness was incorporated into the IFRC/JRC project. After 2006, the disaster preparedness focus was expanded to include the training of teachers and students. A total of nearly USD 8.9 million has been spent on tree plantation, disaster preparedness and awareness raising communes across all eight provinces over 17 years (USD 4.78 million by IFRC/JRC over 14 years). The project is internationally recognised for its success. Around 8,961 ha of mangroves exist today as a result across 166 communes – 23.8% of all mangrove forests in the programme provinces. A total of 222 communities (referred to as communes in Viet Nam) received disaster preparedness training and support, including 3,889 teachers and 108,317 students. An estimated 350,000 people have been directly reached by the programme and approximately 2 million people are now better protected from the impacts of typhoons and flood. The mangrove and bamboo reforestation has brought economic benefits to many families and the cost-benefit ratio of the CBMR/DPP is high. 2

1 Figures for direct beneficiaries based on number of beneficiaries recorded in 17 years impact evaluation correlated with 2010 MOLISA poverty data (poor + near poor hhs) and adjusted for changes in scope of coverage plus the two additional provinces in phase 4; figures for indirect beneficiaries based on number in impact evaluation correlated with 2009 census data and adjusted for changes in scope of coverage plus the two additional provinces in phase 4 2 IFRC (March 2011). Breaking the waves – Impact analysis of coastal afforestation for disaster risk reduction in Viet Nam, pp ii-iv.



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After 17 years of largely successful programming, the MP/DRR project has now reached its fourth and final phase. Phase four will be focused on consolidating and reinforcing the project’s benefits, as well as ensuring the longer-term sustainability of the activities supported, once external donor support ceases. The VNRC will also be supported to develop a common CBDRM programming framework to be followed by all Partner National Societies in future. The JRC has committed CHF 2.4 million to support the VNRC to implement this phase over five years (2011-2015), through the IFRC Secretariat. Geographic Area of Support Phase four of the MP/DRR project will continue to support 346 vulnerable communes in Viet Nam’s eight northernmost coastal provinces. The project also will be modestly extended into ten new communes in two mountainous interior northern provinces: Vinh Phuc and Hoa Binh. These two provinces have been identified as highly vulnerable to disaster impacts, with the potential for improved forest plantation and management to contribute to risk reduction. The work in the ten new communes will allow for: • Adaptation of the VNRC’s successful experiences in forest resource development from coastal areas

into mountain areas • Documentation of learning from this programming for use in the VNRC’s wider CBDRM program,

which is expected to expand to cover 1000 communes in the coming years and to provide input into the Government of Viet Nam’s national CBDRM programme that will cover 6,000 communes throughout the country.

One hundred and fifty communes in ten provinces will receive intensive technical support and assistance for becoming a safer and resilient communes. Overall, the MP/DRR project will cover selected vulnerable communities in three major hazard zones of Viet Nam: the Northern Mountains, Red River Delta and Central Coastal Zones.

Figure 1 Hazard Zones in Viet Nam3

3 Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (undated). Joint Advocacy Networking Initiative in Viet Nam: Framework on Community Based Disaster Risk Management in Viet Nam, p 18.



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The project commenced implementation in January 2011, with various start-up activities carried out while the full project proposal has been under development. A total of 56 communes were selected in the ten provinces to build up their capacity in DRR, vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA), training on livelihoods, small-scale DRR measures and drills. As at 30 June 2011, 51 DRR training courses had been held and facilitated by VNRC trainers and five VCAs carried out (IFRC six-monthly report, June 2011). 2. Goal, Objectives and Outcomes The MP/DRR project’s goal, objectives and outcomes have been developed based on the analysis of the VNRC national office and provincial chapters at the October 2011 proposal development workshop. The IFRC’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation National Plan/Programme Suggested Performance Framework was a key reference. The areas of the Framework to which the project will contribute are indicated in brackets. Overall Objective/Developmental Goal (Outcome 1) Vulnerable communities in Vietnam are safer from, and more resilient to, disaster risks and climate change impact Project Objectives and Outcomes Objective 1 (Outcome 1, Output 1.1) To increase the existing ability of project communes to effectively protect and manage their forest plantations/resources Outcomes:

1. Communes have improved skills and knowledge to manage and protect their forest resources/plantations.

2. Communes are actively managing and protecting their forest resources/plantations. 3. The forest plantations have contributed to improved physical safety and livelihoods within the

project communes. Objective 2 (Outcomes 2 and 3) To increase the capacity of communes for self protection from disaster risks and climate change impact Outcomes:

1. Communes have increased skills and knowledge about disaster and climate change risks and disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation measures.

2. Communes are able to more effectively warn residents of, respond to, and protect themselves from, disaster events/climate change impacts.

3. Communes have a more sustainable resource base in place for effective disaster preparedness and response.

Objective 3 (Outcomes 4 and 5) To strengthen the capacity of the Vietnam Red Cross to effectively design and deliver sustainable community-based disaster risk reduction.



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Outcomes:

1. The systems and procedures of the VNRC for the design, delivery, financial support and monitoring of community-based disaster risk management programming are more efficient and sustainable, including internal and external knowledge-sharing and coordination.

2. The reputation of the VNRC as a leading organization in disaster management in Vietnam has been enhanced.

3. Targeted Beneficiaries The targeted beneficiaries across 356 vulnerable communes in the ten provinces participating in the project include: • Approximately 125,000 direct male/female beneficiaries of training, technical support and

CBDRM/planting activities in 150 focal selected communes; • Around 2.0 million indirect male/female beneficiaries. The design has been informed by feedback on the project from a representative cross-section of the beneficiaries of the previous project phases; this information was obtained through a formal survey and focus group discussions held during the 2011 project evaluations. Further community and local stakeholder inputs and feedback will be obtained throughout implementation via participatory forest management planning and VCA processes, two beneficiary/stakeholder feedback surveys, regular monitoring activities and the phase four project’s mid-term review and evaluation. An estimated 1,400 VNRC national staff and staff/volunteers in the ten chapters and their branches will also be direct beneficiaries of the capacity building activities of the programme. This assistance is targeted at improving chapter, branch and commune level capacity to continue to support project activities

Table 1 Communes Participating in MP/DRR Project, 4th Phase

Women play an important role in the MP/DRR project, but this has not always been visible or well recorded. All project monitoring information - including progress towards project outcomes/outputs - will be disaggregated by gender and analysed for any inequities between male/female roles as decision-makers, implementers (VNRC) or beneficiaries. Any required corrective actions will be identified and followed up by the VNRC and IFRC, in consultation with a technical gender specialist if required.

Province Districts # of Communes

(From previous phases) # of Communes

(New) Total

Ha Tinh 7 38 6 44

Hai Phong 10 42 5 47

Hoa Binh 1 0 5 5

Nam Dinh 8 61 0 61

Nghe An 8 24 3 27

Ninh Binh 6 15 3 18

Quang Ninh 13 48 5 53

Thai Binh 8 43 3 46

Thanh Hoa 10 43 7 50

Vinh Phuc 1 0 5 5

TOTAL 72 314 42 356



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4. Problem Analysis (Including Needs Assessment) Two key and empirically strong evaluations of the MP/DRR project were carried out by the VNRC/JRC/ IFRC in early 2011: • Planting protection – Evaluation of community-based mangrove reforestation and disaster

preparedness programme, 2006-2010 • Breaking the waves – Impact analysis of coastal afforestation for disaster risk reduction in Viet Nam. These evaluations confirmed that the project was making an important contribution to increasing physical and economic resilience to the impacts of natural hazards and other shocks at both the commune and household levels. At the same time, a number of risks were identified to the ongoing success and longer-term sustainability of the project, ie to maintaining the benefits generated after the project ends and ensuring the continued engagement, ownership and participation by local community members. The 2011 MP/DRR programme agreement with the JRC specifies that the project will address three of the most important challenges including: weaknesses in the programme management set-up (VNRC capacity); the plantation-focused approach to risk reduction; and lack of an exit and/or sustainability strategy. VNRC capacity (programme management) The VNRC at all levels (national, chapter, branch, commune) has built up considerable skills, knowledge and experience in CBDRM and mangrove restoration over the past 17 years of the project. Its generally successful work in this area has contributed to the development of, and is complementary to, national policies and strategies on disaster risk management and CBDRM specifically. While the VNRC’s basic organisational capacity is strong, and offers a firm foundation for further capacity development, there are some key gaps in its ability to ensure sustainable MP/DRR project outcomes. These can be summarised as: • Insufficient staff/volunteer and financial resources to provide adequate levels of training and follow-up

technical support to, as well as monitoring progress of, the large and geographically widespread number of communes participating in the project – both for forest plantations and DP/DRR

• Limited and insufficient technical expertise on forestry (ie species selection, planting techniques for different conditions, care/survival, maintenance, sustainable utilisation, etc).

• Under-developed skills, procedures and systems for: reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and financial management

• Limited baseline data collection systems and lack of a common Management Information System (MIS) for planning and monitoring

• High and frequent staff turnover at all levels affecting the continuity of technical skills and support • Limited skills in climate change analysis and planning (eg future impact on forest plantations and

frequency/intensity of disasters) • Few opportunities for sharing experience or peer-to-peer learning (eg workshops, staff exchanges, etc) • Lower salaries and conditions of service than in Government or other organisations • A need for greater financial independence to sustain activities overall. The 2011 evaluations particularly noted: • Provincial planning needed to be based on a robust assessment of risk and capacity to deliver, rather

than simply matching output targets to available budget; • The level of VNRC headquarters staff in phase three was not sufficient to oversee or monitor such a

large and geographically diverse project; the IFRC also had insufficient staff to support the VNRC in this role. This meant that the quality, appropriateness and adequacy of proposed and implemented activities in individual communes were not checked at all or only superficially. The quality of monitoring and reporting overall declined over time.



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• The 'thin project oversight' meant that guidance, technical support and follow-up mentoring after training courses were insufficient. Decisions about the number and type of (short) training courses to be provided needed to take into account the human resources required to provide the necessary follow-on support to effectively and confidently apply the knowledge and skills learned.

• Fund-raising was a key constraint to generating sufficient resources to continue the project after IFRC/JRC funding ends, with a need for professional advice regarding effective ways to attract further public, donor and private sector resources.

Apart from monitoring and evaluation, covered under section 8 of the proposal, the most immediate critical gap for timely project implementation and sustainability is a lack of qualified and experienced master trainers and facilitators in VCA and various areas of disaster preparedness and response. Already, facilitators have been deployed from other provincial chapters to assist four chapters during the first year of implementation (Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh). The national pool of CBDRM trainers is not large, and a number of these trainers are in high demand by other organisations to assist with the implementation of the Viet Nam government’s national CBDRM program across 6,000 communes. For example, approximately 120 VNRC trainers on disaster management and VCA were deployed to support the needs of DMC, UNDP and others in 2011. The same training pool also provides services to a number of other VNRC PNS-supported projects and to partnerships with other organisations. The VNRC headquarters has requested support from IFRC for more VCA facilitator training in order to meet the needs of these organisations. The VNRC has further plans to train a further 24 VCA facilitators to support this project (IFRC 6 monthly report, p 7), but this does not appear sufficient to meet the coverage needs advised by the ten provincial chapters. There is also a need to update the skills of the current pool of master trainers and facilitators, as well as to expand their skills and roles to the next level of development: post training course coaching and mentoring of new facilitators at the chapter and branch levels (who, in turn, can coach and mentor trainees at the commune level). This has implications for the scoping of the job roles of master trainers and the time they spend supporting on-the-job learning vs the delivery of formal training courses – whether virtual or in the field. Without an expansion in the numbers and skill sets of master trainers and facilitators, bottlenecks in project delivery can be anticipated. The quality of engagement with communities can also be expected to suffer. The VNRC Training Centre will have a key role to play in ensuring project success.

Plantation focus Both the VNRC and the communes that have participated in plantation development in previous phases of the project have built up considerable practical experience in various aspects of forestry and management of forest resources. A cross-section of VNRC chapter staff have advised that the awareness of forest management issues among local people in many areas also has increased as a result the government’s ‘5 million ha’ re-afforestation program and national CBDRM program. The fact that the government has forest and mangrove protection policies in place was also considered to create a positive environment for further project work on forest protection and management. At the same time, there have been significant gaps in the support to date. The 2011 evaluations concluded that there has been an over-emphasis on the expansion of planting activities at the expense of sustaining and enhancing the protection and care of mangroves, and the age and situation of some plantations now puts them at risk. Little technical advice has been provided on appropriate planting patterns and tree care during recent project phases, leading to problems for some beneficiaries with tree survival rates and ongoing maintenance – especially of ageing or crowded growth (eg that blocks waterways, etc). The technical assistance previously provided through partnerships with Vietnamese research/technical institutions ceased after the Danish Red Cross support ended, and the VNRC Technical Working Group for the project was dissolved. As previously mentioned, the VNRC at all levels does not have these specialist skills.



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Related to this, the representatives from the ten provincial chapters advised they do not have specialist skills in the development of forest protection and management plans, nor support to their implementation. The VNRC relies on the Ministry/Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD/DARD) to provide these inputs. The capacity of MARD/DARD to provide this assistance is highly variable from place to place and needs to be supplemented with technical support from some other sources. Some other key challenges that remain in achieving sustainable forest protection/management include: • The different education levels within the communes makes the transfer of new skills and knowledge

more challenging (an observation made in all areas of training and development) • The people in a number of communes expect to be paid an allowance for attending training on forest

protection (and other subjects, as precedents have been set by INGOs and, in some places, by the VNRC itself

• The MP/DRR project has paid allowances to community forest protectors in the past, in line with the payments provided to such protectors by the government under its five million ha reafforestation program. There are expectations of continued payment after the project ends; to date, the local government has agreed to take over these payments only in Hai Phong and Nimh Binh provinces. Also, with the ending of the government reafforestation program, the amount of the allowances paid by local government to community level forest protectors has been decreased, which may de-motivate some protectors from providing this service

• In many cases, the commune governments have not provided clear land title to the plantations, putting them at risk of being converted to other uses

• There is sometimes a conflict between the needs of lower-income groups to make a living from the forest and sustainable management of its resources, leading to over-exploitation. There has been some destruction of the mangroves/ forest for short-term and immediate benefits. Dissemination on the benefits of mangrove protection could be increased

• Consideration needs to be given to the impact of climate change on the plantations and their protection from storms and floods

• Climate change impacts may put some of the plantations, or the livelihoods derived from them, at risk in future.

Community Ownership and Ongoing Participation The VCA process, and the related development of community action plans for risk reduction, has ensured community input into the project activities being implemented – both for disaster preparedness and forest plantation. The 2011 evaluations reported that the local ownership of the project among planters, the VNRC, and commune wards was high. At the same time, the coverage of VCAs has not reached all project locations and/or needs to be updated in others. The 2011 evaluations further observed that VCA training and risk assessment needs to be strengthened to look at all risks and needs in a community, ‘not just with a particular solution in mind.’ Several highly vulnerable communities were excluded from the project because they did not own/have access to land on which to plant trees. In some others, tree planting was not the highest priority to reduce their vulnerability but this was the main activity on offer so the communes agreed to it (often with less than ideal outcomes). Likewise, special efforts are needed to ensure effective outreach to various vulnerable groups. For instance, different methods and approaches may be required for awareness-raising and consultation with some groups (eg ‘door-to-door’ instead of broad meetings for those with mobility issues or who have to work at home, holding meetings at different times or separately). Disaster Preparedness and Early Warning Systems The MP/DRR project has contributed to building capacity among local government staff in CBDRM, including disaster preparedness and response. There is also a reasonable enabling environment to further strengthen existing institutions, such as the disaster response teams and early warning systems (EWS)



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already established in some communes through the Peoples’ Committee. The ‘four-on-the-spot’ legislation and guidelines for flood and storm preparedness, mitigation and response and the Central Committees for Flood and Storm Control (CCFSC) are also considered to be good entry points; they, along with local people, already have some practical experience and capacity to mitigate and cope with disaster impacts. However, according to the experience of some chapter staff, some of the EWS at commune level are not well functioning (eg equipment not available or broken down) or managed. Search and rescue teams can be limited in skills and short of tools and equipment, with a high turnover of team members. Flood and storm preparedness and response plans often are not developed based on community inputs – or this may be limited to representatives of mass organisations - and poorly put into practice. Poor communities may have limited means to protect themselves from some natural hazards and/or may not see disaster preparedness and response activities as a priority. Support of Viet Nam Government The policy and legislative environment for CBDRM and climate change mitigation/adaptation in Viet Nam is generally progressive and supportive. The government’s 2007 National Strategy for Natural Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation includes a strong focus on community-based prevention and mitigation. A national strategy on climate change adaptation is under development. Regarding forest protection, while there are some gaps in the national level legislative framework, at the project level the 2011 evaluations concluded that ‘the commitment to mangrove protection is strong, and the government pays for the care of the mangroves.’ At the same time, the ten VNRC chapters have observed that the support of local government for the project (forest plantation and disaster preparedness) can be variable or irregular within and between provinces. Similarly, while MARD/DARD is also a key stakeholder, there are gaps in both its commitment and technical capacity to support the MP/DRR project. Some government leaders do not still recognise the important roles played by the VNRC and some have limited awareness of DRR/CCA issues. There are occasions when cooperation with the relevant agencies/departments is not as good as would be desired. At the same time, the information/advice given to government by the VNRC was said to sometimes be infrequent or untimely. While there is generally good cooperation with commune and national level government agencies, a need for increased or improved advocacy and relationship-building with government agencies was identified. For example, further efforts could be made to influence the Department of Education and Training to allocate a budget for school disaster preparedness activities and to participate in the organisation of the learning activities. Positive pressure to provide land title to project-supported plantations was considered especially important. For example, approved plans for the development of economic and coastal zones are anticipated to impact on the plantation and protection of mangroves. The VNRC head office and IFRC country office were able to assist the Nghe An Red Cross chapter to save 40 ha of mangroves in Nghi Thiet commune from being converted into resettled living areas. The local government of the province agreed with the suggestion that the resettlement plan not be approved in order to preserve the mangroves already planted by the Red Cross (IFRC, June 2011 6 month report, p 7). Need for Good Communications The media was identified as an important stakeholder in the project by the VNRC and communication activities as important to success; Viet Nam’s media system from the national to the grassroots level is well developed and the communes have reasonable access to information. At the same time, the chapters advised that, in many cases, their staff were not well trained and skilled in effective communications approaches. The project needs a systematic communication plan to maximise the efficiency and impact of its dissemination activities for raising awareness of disaster and climate change impacts and the important role of the VNRC in these areas.



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Climate Change During the early phases of the MP/DRR project, the risks and impacts from climate change were not widely known. In 2007, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change identified Viet Nam as one of the top five countries in the world expected to be most affected by climate change. This is due to factors such as the country’s long coastline; it’s already pressured natural resources; location of population; poverty; and exposure to sea level rise. The anticipated sea level rise of between 30 centimetres to 1 meter within the next 100 years is expected to substantially increase the flood risk in low lying coastal areas. Increases in the annual average temperature of 0.1 degree Celsius per decade are posing imminent threats to Viet Nam’s progress in human development (UNDP 2010) and cause negative impacts to nearly all sectors of Viet Nam’s economy, including agriculture, forestry and aquaculture. 4 Despite the lack of knowledge of climate change impacts during the early phases of the MP/DRR project, the 2011 impact evaluation reported that: ‘By far, the biggest benefit [of the project] identified concerns the mangroves’ carbon value.’ The evaluation found that the mangroves planted by the VNRC ‘will have absorbed at least 16.3 million tons of CO2 by 2025. Assuming a price of USD 20 per ton of CO2 emissions and having applied the discount rate of 7.23 percent, this represents a value of USD 218.81 million’ (IFRC, 2011, p 3). The project has clearly demonstrated the contribution that sustainable mangrove plantation development can make to climate change mitigation. The potential funding that additional plantation development could generate through Viet Nam’s Clean Development Mechanism or carbon-offset schemes being planned in accordance with the international Kyoto Protocal, such as the planned national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation scheme (REDD+) could contribute to future forest protection and reduced reliance of the VNRC chapters/branches on external support. Efforts to tap into these funding sources should be introduced into the project over time, in line with the progressive strengthening of chapter/branch capacity in the ten provinces to undertake expanded programming. Further to this, Viet Nam is already one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Under climate change, disasters are anticipated to become more frequent and intense. Rainfall events are expected to become heavier, increasing the frequency and magnitude of flash floods, seasonal river floods and coastal floods in many parts of Viet Nam. Storms and typhoons are likely to become more common and powerful, and patterns of storm behaviour are likely to change. These emerging scenarios need to be factored into the planning and implementation of phase four of the project. 5. Analysis of Solutions (Key Project Components) Overall Approach The central focus of the design of phase four of the MP/DRR project is: • Consolidation and reinforcement of the project results achieved to date, with particular attention to the

maintenance of established forest plantations • Continued strengthening of the resilience of the participating communes to disaster impacts, as well as

the incorporation of activities to increase awareness of the likely effects of climate change and possible adaptation options

• Further development of sustainable forest protection/management and disaster preparedness/CBDRM capacity within both the communes and the VNRC itself to contribute to their ability to continue activities after JRC support ends in 2015

• Adaptation of successful approaches to coastal hazard protection into a mountainous environment The project design has also been framed to support the implementation of the VNRC’s Strategy 2020 and the IFRC’s Planning Framework to Support the VNRC, both of which are based on the Federation-wide Strategy 2020. The specific objective of the VNRC strategy to which this project will contribute is:

4 Asian Management and Development Institute, Viet Nam & The Pressure Group Consultancy, UK (June 2011). Climate Change and Disaster Management Policy in Viet Nam (for CC Working Group and DM Working Group, Vietnam), p 2.



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' To contribute to the capacity improvement of the vulnerable community and the national society at commune levels in organizing activities to reduce risks, to enhance self-recovering ability affected by climate change; reducing the number of deaths and injuries, economic and livelihood losses and other consequence of disasters; improving ability to respond to and recover after disasters.' Further to this, the MP/DRR project will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Viet Nam Government’s National Strategy for Disaster Prevention, Response and Mitigation to 2020. It is highly complementary to, and reinforcing of, the government’s current 6,000 commune CBDRM strategy. Main Components The project is compromised of three mutually reinforcing components. Component 1: Forest Protection and Management/Climate Change Mitigation The first component will focus on the participatory development of commune level forest protection and management plans in communes where the VNRC has previously supported plantation development, including robust analysis of appropriate trade-offs between economic development and mangrove protection and the sustainable exploitation of forest products. Forest protection/management groups will be established in each commune and technical support (relevant to mountain and coastal environments) provided for the design and implementation of the plan. This support will focus on the identification of needs and appropriate responses regarding replanting ageing forest, filling gaps in forest cover, increasing the survival rates and protective value of the tree cover, maximising economic returns and other issues important to ensuring the maintenance and biodiversity of the mangrove ecological systems. Apart from the two new project provinces, this component will not support the expansion of plantations into new communes, except under exceptional circumstances or when chapter/branch capacity has expanded sufficiently and funds become available to do so. Forest replanting or regeneration activities in existing communes will be carried out in accordance with criteria agreed between the VNRC and the IFRC (Annex A). Influencing strategies to secure permanent land rights to plantation areas from government, and to support ongoing costs related to forest management will also be an important element of this component. The possibilities for other new and different funding sources for forest maintenance will also be explored. Component 2: Community Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change Adaptation The second component of the project will concentrate on strengthening the preparedness/mitigation and adaptation capacity of participating communes against the impacts of disasters and climate change. Community and local government awareness-raising or refresher/update training on CBDRR and climate change will be conducted, important in a context where people in key posts such as teachers or local government disaster committees change regularly. A new joint VNRC/DARD two-day awareness-raising course on climate change and livelihoods adaptation options will be introduced. VCAs will be carried out and disaster action plans developed or updated in the majority of participating communes, as some communes did not get the opportunity to conduct VCAs and develop disaster action plans in previous phases, and others need to update their VCAs and action plans. Some small-scale mitigation works/activities will be carried out that are identified as priorities in the action plans. This is an important means of obtaining community participation, building community ownership, and ensuring the local relevance of the (small-scale) follow-up activities implemented. Climate change adaptation considerations and scenario planning will also be built into the VCA, action planning and activity development processes. Due to natural attrition (eg people moving away, retiring, rotating to a new job, etc), replacement VNRC branch and commune level disaster response volunteers will be recruited and trained and efforts made to improve local logistical capacity and relief supply systems. Where existing early warning systems (EWS)



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are not functioning well, support will be given to improve the management and connection to the national EWS and/or to repair or replace ageing equipment/procure new equipment. The IFRC’s Viet Nam country office will also support the VNRC to further develop its connections with national hydro-meteorological services and to introduce climate change forecasting elements into local EWS, where feasible. Efforts will be made to influence local government to increase its support to these areas, and possibly to identify private sector donors through a broader initiative to increase the VNRC’s fund-raising capacity. Component 3: VNRC Capacity Building Component 3 is focused on increasing the ability of the VNRC to efficiently and effectively deliver CBDRM programming to communes in the ten provincial chapters. The NRC national office will undertake training and development activities to increase the planning, monitoring and evaluation skills of chapter and branch staff, as well as to build up the cadre of qualified master trainers and facilitators in VCA, DRR and other key area of CBDRM. Efforts will be made to build up a strong network of volunteers to be engaged in project activities. A project communications plan will be developed to maximise the efficiency and impact of dissemination and awareness-raising activities at all levels and to further build productive relationships with the media. As with the other components, emphasis will be placed on developing strategies to influence government and other potential contributors at all levels (eg on legal land title, ongoing resourcing of activities, technical support, etc). The design process itself followed for the project has included capacity-building elements through the use of more intensive consultative processes than in the past. Participatory workshops held over June-October 2011 have introduced participants from the 10 provinces and national office to logical framework planning approaches, baseline needs assessment and forest coverage mapping using Geographical Positioning System (GPS) technology and capacity analysis. Annex B provides a full summary of the principles and steps followed in the design process. IFRC Support The MP/DRR project agreement specifies that the IFRC’s main role is: “to promote, monitor and facilitate the Programme with the VNRC leadership through the coordination of the technical and/or financial support of the JRCS, and to ensure the proper financial management of the VNRC for the Programme.” There are a number of measures which the IFRC will put in place to assist the VNRCS with the successful and sustainable implementation of the project. These include: • Provision of technical expertise in forest management, needs assessment and GIS mapping,

beneficiary/stakeholder survey methodology, communications and monitoring and evaluation sourced from inside and/or outside of Viet Nam as appropriate. Appointment of external financial auditors once a year and provision of financial management support.

• Advocacy on securing land title for the plantations created with Red Cross support. Other important complementary assistance that is being put in place outside of this project, through other initiatives, includes: • Support for the development of an overall VNRC CBDRM programming framework/strategy • Support for the development of more systematic and cohesive approaches by PNS to organizational

development, including the strengthening of training and development functions • Development of a computerized Management Information System for the project • Branch development, including volunteer management • Formation and training of chapter level disaster response teams • Technical assistance to develop fund-raising strategies, with a particular focus on the ten provinces

included in this project • Further training and development of VNRC skills and knowledge in scenario planning for climate

change adaptation.



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6. Project Logframe, including Progress/Results Indicators Details are provided in Annex C. 7. Plan of action Annex D contains details of the main outputs and implementation timetable for the project. 8. Management Structure/Human Resources The VNRC headquarters has established a project management board of four members including: a manager, a coordinator, an officer and an accountant. The ten VNRC chapters also have established project management boards, comprised of three members (manager, officer, and accountant). The VNRC and IFRC have further assisted in establishing a project working group, including VNRC officers, country office staff and external specialists. Collectively, these bodies will provide broad oversight and coordinate the implementation of the project, as well as encourage multi-stakeholder participation. The latter will be a key role, given that several departments of the VNRC have key roles to play in project implementation, most notably: the Training Centre, Human Resources, Fund Raising, Volunteer Management, and Communications. Terms of reference will be developed for the project management boards in late 2011/early 2012. The VNRC headquarters and a number of the provincial chapters will require additional staff in order to ensure adequate oversight of project implementation, to monitor progress and to provide quality assurance across 356 diverse and geographically widespread communes. The 2011 evaluations found that both the VNRC and the IFRC staff numbers were too small and thinly spread to adequately fulfil project monitoring and quality control functions. Table 2, compiled from project capacity assessments of chapter and branch for the first six months of 2011, summarises the current project staff and volunteer resource base in the VNRC. Each chapter has three full-time staff, the districts have two, and each commune has one part-time staff member for the project delivery. These positions are responsible for a programming portfolio that extends beyond the MP/DRR project. At the volunteer level, it has not yet been established how many of the registered volunteers are currently active.

Table 2 Current VNRC Staff/Volunteer Profile in the 10 Provinces

Province Chapter Project Districts

Project Communes

Project Volunteers

Total

Hà Tĩnh 3 10 44 775 833 Hải Phòng 3 10 47 u/k 60 Hoà Bình 3 3 5 u/k 11 Nam Định 3 8 61 60 132 Nghệ An 3 10 27 0 40 Ninh Bình 3 13 18 70 104 Quảng Ninh 4 13 53 u/k 70 Thái Bình 3 8 46 u/k 65 Thanh Hoá 3 16 50 11 80 Vĩnh Phúc 3 2 5 u/k 10 National Office 4 Total 31 93 356 916 1399



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Within the VNRC, it is estimated that three additional full-time staff positions will be required at the national office level and two-three positions for each of the six chapters that will be supporting between 45-61 communes. These positions will be dedicated solely to the MP/DRR project and will not carry any other organisational responsibilities outside of the project. The IFRC has also recruited a second delegate to its disaster management portfolio, and one of the two positions will be solely responsible for this project. 9. Coordination Internal Coordination The IFRC is working with in-country Partner National Societies including the American Red Cross, German Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross in order to increase technical assistance to the VNRC in 16 selected provinces in Viet Nam. Human resources at the VNRC headquarters disaster management department are stretched with six separate CBDRR projects running simultaneously with an approximate budget of over USD 2 million. Some steps being taken to address this challenge are monthly technical working group meetings and the development of an overall framework on CBDRM to guide PNS support. The IFRC’s suggested DRR and CCA performance framework is being promoted with the PNS and the VNRC. External Coordination The Government of Viet Nam has launched a major nation-wide programme in CBDRM and several international organisations are supporting this programme and/or related community-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives. As described in the Programme Analysis section, the national programme has the objective of establishing CBDRM initiatives in 6,000 of the most vulnerable communes and villages throughout the country over the 12 year period from 2009 to 2020. The VNRC is playing a key support role in this work, including a commitment to implement CBDRM in 1,000 communes. The VNRC and IFRC country office liaises regularly with government, UN agencies and international NGOs on this work. The MP/DRR project influenced the development of the national CBDRM program. Phase four will continue to act as a role model for it, by demonstrating ways to strengthen the sustainability of CBDRM while contributing to climate change mitigation. The VNRC and IFRC will also investigate the possibilities for future collaboration of the project with government and UN agencies on carbon mitigation/offset initiatives. The VNRC is also a member of key donor coordination groups, such as: the Joint Advocacy Networking Initiative in Viet Nam; the Disaster Management Working Group and the Climate Change Working Group. The VNRC and IFRC will continue to share documentation and information on the MP/DRR project through these fora and through our public websites. The project will also host a knowledge-sharing event with the members of these groups and other interested government, donor and UN agencies to exchange CBDRM experiences around the mid-point of implementation in 2013. A number of the VNRC chapters have DRR/CCA partnerships with UN agencies or international NGOs. Overall, the impact of multiple project partnerships with government, NGOs and PNS on already limited staff and training resources available to implement this project will need to be closely monitored by the VNRC and the IFRC. 10. Monitoring and Evaluation Improved monitoring and evaluation by both the VNRC and the IFRC was identified as a particular need for the fourth phase of the MP/DRR project by the 2011 evaluations, both in terms of quality and coverage. A project logframe has been developed through a participatory workshop with representatives from the VNRC national and chapter offices, as well as from the IFRC country office. The logframe (see Annex C) outlines the key performance indicators and data collection methods for monitoring the project’s progress towards achievement of its outcomes and outputs.



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Many of the VNRC staff and volunteers at the chapter and branch levels have not previously received formal training in monitoring and evaluation. The VNRC national office will conduct a training of trainers course in planning, monitoring and evaluation (PMER) to guide chapter/branch project staff, supplemented by IFRC support to follow-on coaching and on-the-job support to put these skills into practice; this will include guidance on gender-disaggregated reporting and analysis of data. Participants at the October 2011 proposal development workshop also noted the need to ensure good and open communication with communes on project objectives and the purpose of feedback collection to ensure honest responses. Adequate and timely monitoring coverage of a large number of widely dispersed communes remains a major challenge for the VNRC and the IFRC. A beneficiary satisfaction survey will be conducted with a representative cross-section of recipient’s of project assistance and key stakeholders during the project’s mid term review in the final quarter of 2013 to obtain feedback on the support being provided. The survey will be conducted by VNRC staff and volunteers under the technical guidance of an IFRC-sourced specialist, preferably from Viet Nam. This information will complement regular reporting systems. Likewise, a baseline Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey of a representative cross-section of project beneficiaries and VNRC chapter/branch/commune staff and volunteers will be conducted in early 2012 and an endline survey carried out in the latter half of 2015 (in coordination with a final project evaluation) to assess the results of the project’s training and awareness-raising activities. Some work was undertaken during the design process to develop a baseline needs and capacity assessment in each province. This represents a modest, but important first step. Baseline data collection and analysis procedures will need further direct provincial level technical support during early 2012. The establishment of a unified and consistent Management Information System across the ten chapters, through a separate IFRC-supported initiative complementary to this project, will also support more efficient and accurate data reporting and synthesis. As required under the Programme Agreement, an independent project mid-term review will also be conducted in 2013 and an end-of-project evaluation at the end of 2015; it is expected that the JRC will participate in these activities, as per the Agreement. The management of the two review/evaluation activities will be the responsibility of the IFRC. The ToR will include gender analysis of project progress and results, in line with IFRC's soon-to-be-released gender strategy. 11. Capacity building and sustainability

The community and VNRC capacity-building activities, as well as measures to contribute to the increased sustainability of project outcomes, have been described in the previous sections of the proposal.The success of these activities will depend not only on the roles played in project management by the Disaster Management (DM) Department of the VNRC and the IFRC DM managers, but also on the active participation of the VNRC’s Training Centre plus its Human Resources, Fund Raising, Volunteer and Communications Departments. The IFRC’s Organisational Development specialist will also have a key advisory role to play in project implementation.

12. Budget

VND (billions) JPY (millions)

Component 1: Forest protection and management/CCM 10.4 41

Component 2: Community DP and CCA 19.4 76

Component 3: VNRC capacity building 25.2 99

TOTAL: 55.0 215

Annex D provides full details of the budgetary estimates.



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13. Appendices

ANNEX A

Selection Criteria For Further Plantation and/or Replantation

1. Land area and planting condition survey and assessment: Land quality, species, slope, low tide time exposure, mud quality, movement, aquaculture activities arrounding for mangrove plantations using experiences from past plantation in same areas, technical support from experts at local or national levels.

2. All proposed land areas have to be mapped by GPS.

3. Land tenure agreements or certificate for at least 25 years.

4. Written agreement on the lands use for reforestation in at least 25 years, any land use change should be recompensated based on original investments plus biological benefits.

5. Planting technical support should be identified from where, whom and how.

6. A payment scheme should be also developed.



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ANNEX B

Project Design Principles and Process Principles The design of the program was based on the following key principles: 1. The design process should be led and owned by the VRC, with technical support from the IFRC. 2. The program design should support the strategic objective of the VNRC in DRM more broadly, as

articulated in its Strategy on the Development of the Vietnam Red Cross Society by 2020, and in its role as an auxiliary to the Government of Vietnam.

3. The VNRC Strategy, in turn, draws from the IFRC's Strategy 2020: Saving Lives, Changing Mind, which is also an important broader framework for defining JRC/IFRC international assistance.

4. The design should build upon the lessons learned from past MP/DRR and broader community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) experience in Vietnam and other countries.

5. The design process and the design itself should encourage and facilitate strengthened harmonisation and alignment of the support provided by the IFRC Secretariat and Partner National Societies (PNS) to the DRM objective of the VNRC.

6. The design and implementation of the programme should follow the good partnership principles of: demonstrating mutual respect; really listening to each other; trusting your partner; maintaining an open and transparent relationship; being friendly (ie showing sensitivity to the culture, religion and circumstances of others; not embarrassing them); treating each other as equals; and sharing information.5

Steps in Planning Process 1. A one day preliminary planning workshop was held in Da Nang on 29 June 2011 to provide input into

the development of the ToR for the planning process itself. A total of 38 representatives from 24 provincial chapters and the national office of the VNRC participated. The workshop was facilitated by an external consultant (Ms Cynthia Burton) with support from an IFRC staff member from the Viet Nam country office (Mr Tao Vandang).

2. A series of five two-day workshops were held by the IFRC Viet Nam country office and VNRC

national office staff over August and September 2011 to introduce the participating VNRC chapters and branches to proposal development using a logframe model. Each workshop covered two chapters and their participating branches. The chapters also received guidance on conducting provincial needs and capacity assessments, as well as the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to map forest plantation coverage. The chapters produced the data and submitted it to the IFRC over September.

3. A five day workshop was held in Thai Binh with IFRC country office and VNRC national office staff,

and representatives from all ten provincial chapters, to consolidate this information and develop the full proposal. The workshop was facilitated by Ms Cynthia Burton with support from Mr Tao Vandang.

4. Ms Burton drafted the project proposal, incorporating the inputs generated through the above three

steps, as well as feedback received from the IFRC country office and VNRC national office. 5. Ongoing consultations have taken place over this period by the IFRC country office with Partner

National Societies on the development of a broader CBDRM framework into which this project will fit.

5 As identified by VNRC during a preliminary planning workshop held in June 2011



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Annex C: MP/DRR PROJECT LOGFRAME Indicators Methods/Sources of Data Who is Responsible?

GOAL: Vulnerable communities are safer from, and more resilient to, disaster risks and climate change impact in Vietnam

• Participating project communes have improved resilience to disasters and increased knowledge of climate change impacts

• Community ability to prepare for and respond to disasters has been improved

• Community knowledge of how to address disaster risk and climate change impacts has been increased

• VNRC capacity in coordination of and advocacy for CBDRM has been strengthened

• VNRC capacity to deliver and sustain CBDRM and CCA has been strengthened

• Government statistics on post-disaster deaths, injuries, damage and losses

• End of project evaluation

• VNRC national office • IFRC country office



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OUTCOMES Indicators Data Collection Methods/Sources Assumptions OBJECTIVE 1: To increase the existing ability of project communes to effectively protect and manage their forest plantations/resources

Outcome 1: Communes have improved skills and knowledge to manage and protect their forest resources/plantations

1. 75% of commune leaders and residents in project communes can correctly identify key personal and community actions to manage and protect their forest resources

2. 75% of the residents of project communes, who exploit forest resources for their livelihoods (ie forest and aquaculture products), can correctly identify one or more measures to use these resources sustainably. 50% of those who can identify measures are actively implementing one or more of these

• Baseline/endline KAP surveys

• Appropriate technical partners can be identified that are available to participate at key timings identified for project

• Effective VNRC/IFRC cooperation with MARD/DARD

Outcome 2: Communes are actively managing and protecting their forest resources/plantations

1. 70% of project communes with forest plantations have volunteer forest management groups and a forest management/protection plan in place

2. 90% of these communes are actively implementing their forest management/protection plan which may include activities such as forest regeneration, gap filling, thinning, diversification, and/or management of land use changes, etc

3. 20% of project communes with plantations have mobilised human and/or financial resources, beyond the project’s resources, to support forest protection

• Reports from regular monitoring visits • Mid-term review and end of project

evaluation: - visual observation - key informant survey/interviews - review of forest management plan

documentation/FGDs with forest protection groups

• Local government support the costs of forest protection personnel as part of their regular budget

• VNRC have adequate human resource capacity to support group formation/planning and follow up processes

• Technical partners provide adequate training and support to VNRC staff/volunteers facilitating group formation and planning processes

Outcome 3: The forest plantations have contributed to improved physical safety and livelihoods within the project communes



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Indicators Data Collection Methods/Sources Assumptions 1. At least 75% of the planted area (ie total has of coverage in place at

commencement of 2011, plus any additional planting during phase 4) within all communes remains in tact, ie has not been cut or burnt down or the use of the land area changed

2. At least 50% of households have maintained or increased access to products from the forests.

• Monitoring of forest cover against GPS-generated baseline maps

• Records of survival rates of trees over time • End of project evaluation:

- visual observation/GPS coverage maps - Measurement of tree planting depth,

species distribution, age range, density, non-exposure of dyke, etc

- Beneficiary survey comparing 2015 livelihoods figures with those from 2011 evaluations

• Forestry advice provided by technical partners is timely and accurate

• Local governments approve use of land for mangrove plantations (environmental protection) and provide secure land title to prevent rezoning of land for other purposes (eg commercial, residential, etc)

• Plantations have not been adversely affected by disease and/or natural disasters

Objective 2: To increase the capacity of communities for self protection from disaster risks and climate change impacts

Outcome 1: Communes have increased skills and knowledge about disaster and climate change risks and disaster risk reduction/climate change mitigation/adaptation measures

1. 90% of project communes (community leaders and residents) can correctly identify key relevant disaster and climate change risks/potential impacts, as well as possible protection and mitigation/adaptation measures (including those related to livelihoods)

2. 90% of trained school teachers and children can correctly identify key relevant disaster and climate change risks/potential impacts and describe at least one risk reduction measure they have put in place

• Baseline/endline KAP surveys • End of project evaluation (key informant

interviews, focus group discussions)

• VNRC have adequate human resource capacity to support training and follow up/refresher activities

• Ministry of Education is supportive of school DRR/CCA activities

Outcome 2: Communes are able to more effectively warn residents of, respond to, and protect themselves from disaster events/climate change impacts

1. Early warning systems in 90% of project communes are operating effectively and connected to the national early warning system

2. 95% of project communes have disaster management plans in place that incorporate climate change considerations, including for schools and health centres, and regularly conduct successful simulation drills

3. # of small-scale disaster/climate change mitigation infrastructure

• Periodic inspection of EWS equipment for functionality

• Records of % of targeted communities implementing or participating in simulation exercises

• VNRC have adequate human resource capacity to support training, follow up/refresher activities and formation of local response groups; #s trained account for natural attrition



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Indicators Data Collection Methods/Sources Assumptions constructed and being maintained by the commune

4. All (100%) recruited and trained VNRC staff/volunteers at branch and commune levels have increased rapid disaster response/recovery and climate change skills and knowledge, play pro-active roles in these areas, and are recognised by community members for this role

• Baseline/endline KAP survey • Mid term review (beneficiary satisfaction

survey) • End of project evaluation:

• Review of EWS/disaster management planning documentation

• Inspection of mitigation activities • Key informant interviews

over time (people leaving group) • VNRC/IFRC has effective

partnerships with National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting and Central Committees for Flood & Storm Control (CCFSC)

• VNRC staff/volunteers are appropriately trained on climate change knowledge transfer

• Local authorities are committed to DRM/CCA, including resource contributions

Outcome 3: Communes have a more sustainable resource base in place for effective disaster preparedness and response

1. At least 60% of project communes have sufficient emergency food/relief stocks and/or pre-agreements with suppliers

• Visual inspection & documentation of agreements

• Mid term review/end of project evaluation

• Government and/or private sector will commit ongoing resources to emergency stocks

Objective 3: To strengthen Vietnam Red Cross capacity to effectively design and deliver sustainable community-based disaster risk reduction

Outcome 1: The systems and procedures of the VNRC for the design, delivery, financial support and monitoring of community-based disaster risk management programming are more efficient and sustainable, including internal and external knowledge-sharing and coordination

1. All (100%) VNRC finance staff at chapter and branch levels produce more timely reports of sufficient quality

2. 50% of project staff at the chapter and branch level demonstrate increased knowledge and skills in drafting of project proposals, planning, and monitoring of CBDRM projects

3. The ten VNRC chapter and branch offices have increased their cash or in-kind support by at least 5%-10%

• Mid term review/end of project evaluation: - Records of timing of receipt of financial

reports - VNRC managers feedback on clarity and

accuracy of report content - Records of resource raising

• Adequate and timely technical support provided through other (non-project) IFRC-supported initiatives with VNRC in further development of: Management Information Systems, financial skills and fund-raising



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Indicators Data Collection Methods/Sources Assumptions 4. VNRC coordination of, and advocacy for, CBDRM/CCA with relevant

government agencies at all levels and with mass organisations has increased or improved, creating more enabling conditions for the smooth implementation of VNRC activities

- Review of project monitoring reports & follow up action

- Records of VNRC meetings with government officials on CBDRM/CCA and coordination/cooperation agreements

- Stakeholder feedback

• IFRC has adequate human resources to support and reinforce advocacy work of VNRC

• Staff turnover is not high and/or good staff transition practices are in place

Outcome 2: The reputation of the VNRC as a leading organisation in disaster management in Vietnam has been enhanced

1. Project communes (leaders and residents ) express a high level of satisfaction with the community-based disaster risk management assistance received from the VNRC

2. The number of volunteers who join/participate in VNRC CBDRM activities increases by 5%-10%

• Volunteer recruitment/activity records • Mid term review (beneficiary satisfaction

survey) • End of project evaluation: key informant

interviews



Documents

PROPOSAL VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY - ifrc.org · PROPOSAL VIETNAM RED CROSS SOCIETY MANGROVE PLANTATION AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PROGRAMME 2011-2015 November 2011 Supported by