The Mid Term Review has been important exercise for the learning that has been generated through the process and shared dialogue. It has identified trends which indicate some key issues in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action at the community level. It has also confirmed the need to provide ongoing and targeted support to partners in their efforts to mainstream DRR within policy as well as their own practise. In light of the growing concerns of climate change, this challenge has to be taken seriously going forward. The use of the “Characteristics of a disaster resilient community” were helpful in identifying gaps where communities could develop more robust resilience in the absence of a disaster. It has broadened partners’ understanding of what DRR is and articulated for them the linkages between advocacy and community resilience, summed up in the “enabling environment” characteristics. The use of the Characteristics were able to demonstrate impact by allowing communities to compare and contrast to where they are now compared to where they were before. Most of all, the Characteristics has helped partners identify what resilience components are missing without having to go through the full impact of a disaster as their basis for learning. This has proved to be invaluable in providing a continuous and ongoing base for impact assessment in future projects, and on this basis Tearfund will continue to support the further development and roll out of the Characteristics.
