FIJI

Fiji, situated in the pacific "Ring of Fire" has frequent small earthquakes. An earthquake in 1953 off the coast of Suva with magnitude 6.75 caused considerable destruction of infrastructures and loss of lives. It is expected that a large earthquake close to Suva would now result in more damage because of increased vulnerability owing to urbanization. In order to cope with future earthquakes, several initiatives have been taken at national and local level in recent times.
The project "Reducing Vulnerability of School Children to Earthquakes" builds on the achievements towards managing the earthquake risk in the country. Schools in and around Suva city are selected for the intervention for this project. The project maintains synergy with policy and programmes of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) which carries out community-based disaster management activities. The Ministry of Education takes a large stake in staging demonstrations for the school safety programme to transform it into national campaign for safer schools.

INDIA

In India, following the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, there has been concern over the need to promote earthquake safety in the country, particularly in earthquake prone states. A majority of the states along the Himalayan belt are in the highest seismic zone which includes Himachal, Uttaranchal, and Assam, among others.
This project is based in Shimla city, in Himachal state, which is commemorating the centenary of one of India's worst ever earthquakes - the 1905 Kangra Earthquake. The project is building on the momentum of other initiatives taken by state and local governments in association with civil society in the recent past, such as the preparation of the Earthquake Mitigation Plan of Shimla District to put forward the concept of safe schools and safe communities. Shimla Municipal Corporation will implement the project at the local level as a counterpart agency and the Shimla District Administration together with the Himachal State Government will provide policy support and interface with other states and countries as outreach activities. Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) - and Indian NGO - will serve as the local resource institution to implement the project.

INDONESIA

Indonesia lies in a seismically very active region which has had a number of major earthquake in the recent past. It was the country most affected by the great Sumatran Earthquake and Tsunami Disasters in December 2004 and early 2005. The schools and communities for this project are from Aceh province, which was severely hit by the last earthquake and tsunami. The concept of long-term mitigation in this project, particularly towards safer schools and communities, will influence the reconstruction process resulting in more sustainable development.
The provincial government of Aceh implements the project as local counterpart in coordination with National Department of Education, Department of Housing and other national agencies. Institute Bandung Technolgi (ITB) will serve as the local resource institution to implement the project. UN agencies, in particular, UN Habitat, UNESCO and UNDP, are supporting the project with complimentary programmes.

UZBEKISTAN

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan is situated in a tectonically active region exposed to high seismicity. Tashkent, the capital city, was hit by a strong earthquake in 1966 causing huge damage to lives and property. In the last decade, there have been several initiatives to contain the risk of earthquakes in Tashkent. It was one of the case study cities for IDNDR RADIUS and the Global Earthquake Safety Initiative (GESI). The Government of Uzbekistan recently initiated the National Program for Improvement of Educational Facilities which includes improvement of school buildings, among others. This programme provides a base for the current project.

The project site in Uzbekistan is Tashkent where Hokimiyat Office is a counterpart agency. The Ministry of Education is taking a stake in the project to spread similar programmes throughout the country. The Research Institute for Experimental and Typical Building (UzLITTI) is serving as the local resource institution to implement the project in Tashkent.