Murakami Kotomi, a CWS Japan intern, recently interviewed participants in the “Enhancing Resilience of Afghanistan through Integrated Risk Reduction” project. This blog features her interviews with local community members about the impacts that the project has had in supporting disaster risk reduction efforts in Afghanistan.
Impacts of Disaster Risk Reduction Projects
Local participants work to build a protective barrier, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
Disasters can upend lives in an instant, but proactive preparation can make all the difference in how communities recover and rebuild. When we asked a local resident about the project’s impact, they shared:
“I didn’t really understand the concept of impact until I got involved in this project. The impact of disaster risk reduction projects refers to the effects that go beyond the outputs of medium- to long-term support, such as disaster risk reduction infrastructure or cash distributions. These effects change the awareness and behavior of people living here and result in better resilience to disasters.
Although recovery and reconstruction are given priority during disasters, in order to minimize damage the next time a similar disaster occurs, it is necessary to improve disaster prevention capabilities themselves. I consider sustainability in the context of disaster risk reduction to be when the country or community providing support is eventually able to overcome a disaster without relying on the help of others.”
RELATED: Building Resilience: Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction in Afghanistan
A local team member involved in infrastructure construction shared his observations on how CWS Japan’s support has influenced residents. He noted a significant increase in disaster risk reduction awareness within the community:
“One notable example comes from a project in the mountainous Saigon district of Bamiyan Province, where efforts to stabilize flash flood flows have led to a lasting impact. Not only is the site now managed by local residents, but nearby communities have also adopted the same flood management methods—showing how knowledge and practices are spreading beyond the original project area.
To measure this shift in awareness, CWS Japan conducted a disaster risk reduction session followed by pre- and post-session surveys. The results were encouraging—residents reported a better understanding of safe evacuation sites and routes in case of a disaster. While these kinds of behavioral changes can be difficult to quantify, it’s clear that efforts like these are making a real difference in strengthening community resilience.”
Women’s Involvement in Project Activities
Community-led disaster preparedness is at the heart of CWS Japan’s approach, ensuring that women and vulnerable groups are actively involved. To better understand their participation, CWS Japan conducted a survey on how local residents—especially women—contributed to the construction of dams and protection walls, as well as the social and economic impact of their involvement. A local team member shared their insights:
The construction of a completed dam, Photo Courtesy: CWSA
“In the past, a project was carried out in Bamiyan Province to build protection walls along rivers that are at high risk of flooding and flash floods. In this project, many residents, regardless of gender, were directly involved in the construction of the protection walls. Of the 296 participants, 76 were women. The protection walls are built by stacking iron wire filled with stones, but women participated by making these gabions at home.
Many women are able to participate in such projects, but women’s social and economic status [in Afghanistan] has recently worsened. Because it is difficult for women to go out alone without a male guardian such as their husband or older brother, they are unable to receive a proper education and are only allowed to work in workplaces where their relatives are involved, so their actions are severely restricted. Hearing the real voices of local people about this situation was shocking for me, a woman who regularly goes to university.”
To understand the true impact of disaster prevention efforts, we asked whether there was concrete evidence that infrastructure projects had successfully reduced disaster risks. A local team member shared their experience:
“During the second phase, from November 2022 to September 2023, there was a project to build a check dam in Go Lakh village in the Saigon district to prevent waterways from overflowing during floods. Since the construction of check dams on each canal, the community has begun rebuilding their homes and mosques and is now even restoring farmland. While there were floods in this area in June and July of this year, there was no flooding in these canals. The community members are very happy about this and are continuing to build check dams.
We felt that these success stories were very important for the local community. However, through our discussions, we realized that while the construction of this type of infrastructure can reduce the risk of disasters, it cannot eliminate them.”
Looking Ahead
CWS Japan has a limited capacity in terms of the number of communities it can support and the types of disasters it can respond to, making it impossible to address every need. Throughout this experience, I realized there are still significant gaps to be filled—such as developing earthquake preparedness strategies, rebuilding irrigation channels and securing adequate personnel.
However, through these interviews, I gained a deeper understanding of the impact and value of CWS Japan’s work. Through the team’s disaster prevention efforts, it was clear to see that CWS is trusted, welcomed and deeply appreciated by local partners and the community.
Murakami Kotomi served as an intern with CWS Japan. To learn more about the work of CWS Japan, visit their website (in Japanese) or click here.