Attachments
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This baseline study was undertaken to assess the current conditions of targeted communities under the Integrated Community-Based Risk Reduction (ICBRR) Programme. One of its main objectives was to establish a reference point to measure change, evaluate effectiveness, and assess the long-term impact of the project. Data collection combined both quantitative and qualitative methods, including household surveys and interviews. The findings provide a benchmark for future progress, inform midterm project adjustments, and enable effective monitoring and evaluation.
The study was conducted in two municipalities and three target villages: Babulu and Mindelo in Manufahi Municipality, and Manelobas in Ainaro Municipality. Data collection was carried out by the CVTL team with support from the IFRC between 2–5 May 2025. The overarching goal of the ICBRR programme is to strengthen community resilience, ensuring that communities are safer, healthier, and better prepared to face risks.
The assessment focused on community knowledge, attitudes, and practices across five thematic areas: health; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH); Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); livelihoods; and healthy youth. Cross-cutting issues such as gender, protection, and inclusion were also integrated throughout the study.
A total of 384 households were surveyed, comprising 46% male and 54% female respondents. In addition, 251 youth aged 12–25 years were interviewed across the three target communities.
The study identified the major hazards faced by Babulu, Manelobas, and Mindelo communities, including cyclones and storms, landslides, wildfires, and drought. Gender- and age-segregated data highlighted important differences in exposure and impact:
• Although communities are aware of key hazards such as cyclones, storms, and landslides, overall preparedness and participation in DRR activities remain low, with limited access to information and weak local structures highlighting the need for more inclusive and systematic community-based disaster management.
• Women, particularly mothers, bear the burden of fetching water amid limited access and difficult terrain, while inconsistent hygiene practices and weak WASH maintenance systems underscore the need for stronger community engagement and sustained behaviour change for lasting health and resilience.
• Men and youth, who primarily depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, face increasing challenges from climate-related crop failures and poor market access, resulting in unstable household incomes that undermine families’ nutritional well-being and children’s long-term development.
• Health promotion has led to positive but uneven behavioural change, with remote communities still lacking adequate knowledge, nutrition awareness, and access to preventive services—highlighting the need for stronger coordination and broader, community-level integration of health initiatives.
• There remains a critical need for continuous awareness-raising and capacity-building efforts across all sectors—climate resilience, disaster risk reduction including preparedness, health, and livelihoods—to reach and inclusively engage communities that have not yet benefited from previous phases of the ICBRR programme.
These findings underscore the urgent need for community-driven interventions that address both immediate risks and structural vulnerabilities. The baseline will serve as a critical benchmark to measure progress and adapt programme strategies over time.