Purpose: The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) is committed to building safety and resilience through its Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) programmes. However, defining the aims and objectives of such programmes and the critical factors that influence their impact remains a challenge. This research report has been prepared by Arup’s International Development team on behalf of the IFRC in order to identify the ‘characteristics of safe and resilient communities; to understand how these characteristics changed over time; and to explore how RCRC interventions have contributed to this change. The characteristics arising from this research will be used in the design, monitoring and evaluation of future programmes. A first step towards this is the lessons learned report which provides a further output from this study; a “who, what, where” database of RCRC CBDRR projects; and a research report identifying the key determinants of a successful CBDRR programme.

Overview: The report includes:

1. Introduction: provides an overview of the scope and methodology of the report
2. Findings from literature review and field work: Presents a summary of the findings from the literature review which resulted in a conceptual framework and long list of 19 characteristics and provided a list of 70 factors grouped under 8 themes which the communities perceived as contributing to their safety and resilience.
3. Analysis of safe and resilient community and impacts of CBDRR program: includes the combined analysis of the literature review and findings from the fieldwork, resulting in six distinct characteristics of a safe and resilient community. It also reviews the fieldwork data with respect to the characteristics and reports on how these have changed over time, and how this has been influenced by RCRC CBDRR programmes.
4. Conclusion and recommendations: concludes with recommendations for future research and suggestions as to how the characteristics might be adopted to best suit the work of the RCRC.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation, Learning from experience

Audience: National Society leadership, Technical staff