Building capacity in Albania, 2001
Background
The 1990s was a decade of turmoil in Albania. Anarchy
followed the fall of communism in 1992, while the collapse of pyramid
savings schemes in 1997 precipitated a major social and economic crisis.
Civil strife spread across the country after the assassination of a
leading opposition political figure in 1998 and during the Kosovo crisis
in 1999, Albania gained the world's attention as the host country for
450,000 refugees.
Europe's poorest country, Albania is struggling to
recover from these crises. CARE International began relief operations
here in April 1999 with a range of activities including refugee camp
management, food distributions, mobile assistance to spontaneously settled
refugees, landmine awareness, and assistance for the repatriation of
refugees. In 2000 CARE reoriented its assistance to support rehabilitation
and reconstruction.
The problem
For Albania to be better prepared for disasters, CARE
recognised that local authorities, NGOs and community-based organisations
needed to have a common understanding of disaster preparedness and management
methods. Just as importantly, they also needed to understand each others'
roles and to be able to work together. These needs were addressed by
CARE through the disaster preparedness and planning (DPP) project which
by providing information and training aimed to increase the capacity
of these organisations to respond rapidly and effectively to disasters.
The project was implemented in three regions - Kukes, Shkoder and Korce.
How Sphere was used
A key objective of the DPP project was to introduce
current disaster management methods to decision-makers and social service
providers in strategic areas in Albania. CARE chose the Sphere handbook
as the main resource for the training. Since the handbook had to be
easily accessible, it was first translated into Albanian and published
locally - with the first draft the focus of discussion in a four-day
conference with representatives of local and international NGOs.
The next step was to select - through advertising
in the local media - and instruct local trainers on how to use the Sphere
handbook. Since this was the first known training of its kind in Albania,
the trainers took part in preparatory sessions to learn about the topics
covered in the Sphere handbook and how to integrate its contents into
the DPP training methods.
The new trainers then conducted workshops in various
places around the country using the Sphere handbook as a reference for
discussions and consultation. The trainers presented participants with
different disaster scenarios, simulation exercises and case studies,
and organised field exercises so to enable them to combine theory with
practical experience. On the last, day participants were required to
develop a disaster plan based on co-operation between local authorities
and NGOs.
In the year following the close of project activities,
CARE continued to distribute the Sphere handbook to professionals and
volunteers involved in relief in Albania. A total 865 copies were given
to officials responsible for regional disaster response. Another 100
were selectively distributed at coordination meetings and NGO fairs
to partners with non-relief mandates but which were nonetheless active
in emergency preparedness. UNHCR requested copies of the Albanian language
Sphere handbook for their national partners to guide preparation of
up-to-date inter-agency contingency plans for the country.
Lessons learned
Since the vocabulary and concepts underlying disaster
preparedness and management were new to Albanians, the main challenge
in translating Sphere was to find terms in the Albanian language to
convey the full meaning of technical terms and theoretical concepts.
The book introduced new linguistic concepts related to emergency management
into Albanian and paved the way for more work in this field.
This experience also highlighted the need for the
organisations involved in disaster preparedness and response to continue
their learning in this area. Access to information about human rights
and development assistance were especially needed. Also important were
improved links between international and national humanitarian actors
and governmental authorities.
Contact: Stephen Gwynne-Vaughan. Email: stevegv@albnet.net
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