Address from our board chairman
Asia’s disaster risk is on increasing and intensifying with emergence of new risks, including climatic changes and associated environmental hazards. Thus, the risk reduction approaches need innovations and the risk reduction practitioners need motivations and dedication, and risk reduction solutions need local customization. This is only possible with the incorporation of young and trained professionals with new ideas and willingness to accept new challenges. SEEDS Asia incorporates this philosophy of professionalism in the disaster risk reduction with the motivation to contribute the efforts of global, regional and local risk reduction. In Japan, disaster field is often looked at through humanitarian approach, more on post disaster response. However, a true disaster management needs both pre- and post disaster approaches, through the blending of “humanitarian heart and development brain.” Our motto is to develop and train such practitioners, who can contribute to the people in needs, through their professionalism. Myself, being in the university strongly feel the need of professional development, and to link the academic research into practice. SEEDS Asia tries to fill that crucial gap.
SEEDS Asia is a newborn baby in the long history of disaster management and risk reduction in Japan, and in Asia. The organization was formed in 2006 as a non-profit body incorporated in Japan, however, its journey began in 1994 in Delhi, India with the formation of SEEDS India, which is a specialized NGO on disaster risk reduction with a strength of around 70 professionals and practitioners.
Over past several years, we have gained certain experiences in Asia through working in Pakistan, Maldives, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam. We tried to focus on community-based approaches, and found that one of key entry point of the community is through the schools. Thus, school-centered risk reduction, and child-focused disaster management has become the core component of our work. One of our motivations was to disseminate the knowledge and experiences of Kobe, after the Post Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake of 1995. However, we were shattered with the vast damages of 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and started working in Kesennuma, in close cooperation with the education board, schools, local NGOs and local communities. Over past years, we tried in our modest ways to contribute to community and school recovery, and we are gaining invaluable experiences. We hope to build our future work in Asia based on these experiences.
Working closely with the local governments, local NGOs and communities, we have learnt and realized that institutionalization of disaster risk reduction effort is very important, and is core to sustainability. Thus, our approach has been to strengthen local system and local institutions, so that it can continue on its way with minimum further external assistance. I am thankful and grateful to those who have extended their supports to us over past several years, and looking forward to further communication, collaboration and partnership with many of you for our endless efforts of risk reduction in Asia.
February 2013
Rajib Shaw
Board Chairman, SEEDS Asia