THE TOYOTA FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL GRANT PROGRAM FOR FY 2023

Joint Development of Citizen Empowerment Program for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia

Southeast Asian countries have been hindered from sustainable development by recurring disasters. Until now, disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures and recovery/reconstruction assistance have been provided to the region mainly through technology transfer and hardware development from developed countries, but in the future, citizens in each region are expected to take the initiative in promoting autonomous and continuous activities in collaboration with various local stakeholders (NGOs, universities, and local governments). In order to realize this, the training of key persons who will serve as the axis of regional activities is an urgent issue.

This program will expand the DRR education program developed by Kansai University of International Studies (KUISs) and the Asian Cooperative Program (ACP), a consortium of universities in six Southeast Asian countries, to develop local DRR leaders in collaboration with research institutions, citizen groups, NGOs, and others.

Research institutions and local communities will continue to serve as donors, and the program will lead to the realization of a safe and secure society by spreading the training and award system for citizen DRR leaders in each region.

Product Information

・Grant period: November 2023 - October 2025 (2 years)

・Total grant amount: 8.7 million yen

・Project target countries: Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia

・Participating organizations: Kansai University of International Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Asian Disaster Reduction Center, FM Waiwai, Citizens towards Overseas Disaster Emergency (CODE), Plus Arts, Bokomi-Badran, Lintas Radio Station, Negrepang Village, Kasongan Village, Mercy Malaysia, Yan River KAMC

Community ICT Training -Evacuation Drill- in Indonesia

・Date: September 7th, 2024, 8:00 - 15:00

・Venue: Kampung Jogoyudan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Participants: 115 people (including 3 online participants)

Organizers: ACDRI

Purpose of the project:

Improve community disaster response capacity by effectively using ICT

Co-organizer: UAJY, UGM, UUM, KUISs, Asian Disaster Reduction Center, BPBD, KTB JOGOYDAN

 The evacuation drill was conducted using "geoBingAn," a community disaster information sharing system developed by GeoThings (Taiwan), with the aim of "improving community disaster response capabilities through effective use of ICT. geoBingAn" is a system for exchanging information on the disaster situation and necessary supplies using 'WhatsApp,' a communication application widely used in Indonesia.
 The training was conducted under the assumption that Cold Lava(*) had occurred. Residents evacuated to a community hall that had been set up as an evacuation center, and uploaded information on damage, evacuation status, injuries, etc. at each location. Community leaders and BPBD staff members distributed information simultaneously to residents and assessed their needs. After the drill, all participants reflected on the experience, and BPBD staff commented that they would like to continue using geoBingAn, which allows them to share information immediately.

Cold Lava: Volcanic mudflow is a phenomenon in which volcanic ejecta and water mix and flow on the surface of a volcano. It is caused by volcanic ejecta melting snow and glaciers, pyroclastic material flowing into water bodies, crater lakes overflowing, hot water overflowing from craters, and volcanic ejecta flowing due to rainfall, etc. The speed of flow is estimated to reach several tens of kilometers per hour.

Kick-off meeting held in January 2024

The kick-off meeting of the Asian Citizens Disaster Risk reduction Initiative (ACDRI) was held at the KOBE Co CREATION CENTER on Sunday, January 28, with 41 participants in person and online.

The event began with opening remarks by ACP Chair Dr. HAMANA Atsushi (President, KUISs) and a message from Kobe Mayor Mr. HISAMOTO Kizo. This was followed by the signing of the charter by ACDRI members, including representatives from Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia ), Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta (Indonesia), and Universiti Utara Malaysia (Malaysia). The international workshop was also held by an online connection between the Japanese venue and citizen groups and NGOs in Malaysia and Indonesia, where good practices and issues in DRR by citizen in each country were shared. This was followed by a poster session by participating organizations. The citizens' workshop also was held on the topic of "Community DRR in Japan". The participants joined a bus tour to the HAT Kobe area and visited HAT Kobe's DRR facilities.

Establishment of Asian Citizens Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative (ACDRI)

ACDRI was established with the support of the "Toyota Foundation 2023 International Grant Program" to expand ACP's educational programs to include programs to train DRR leaders in communities in each country, in cooperation with research institutions, civil society organizations, and NGOs. Members consist of practicing researchers and local community leaders from Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

It's main activities are as below:

(1) Training of citizen DRR leaders (workshops, etc.)

(2) Development of educational materials (design of program courses, creation of educational materials)

(3) Archiving teaching materials (stock of digital content in multiple languages)

(4) Certification (issuance of Certificate) and recommendation (award for good practice), etc.

Through those activities, it aims to improve disaster preparedness at the citizen level. Furthermore, it aims to further expand the target countries to Southeast Asian countries.

ACDRI Logo

The key concept of the logo is "diversity." It expresses ACDRI's goal of respecting diverse viewpoints and opinions, and a harmonious attitude that recognizes the value of each. The logo mark, shaped like a dandelion seed, symbolizes the spread of citizen disaster awareness throughout the world.

Overall Project Schedule

Schedule of Citizen Workshops

・January 2024 Kobe

・Yogyakarta, Indonesia August-September 2024

・August-September 2025 Kudah, Malaysia

Link

Kobe Shimbun (1/29/2024)

Kansai University of International Studies Establishes Conference to Foster Citizens' Disaster Risk Reduction Capabilities Beyond National Borders, Collaborating with Southeast Asian Universities to "Realize a Safe and Secure Society

Toyota Foundation International Grant Program

2023 International Grant Program D23-N-0056