Recovering Sustainable Settlements for People Affected by Disaster: An Inclusive-Participatory Approach

Abstract

Typhoon Damrey struck Vietnam in November 2017 and was the strongest storm to hit the country in over 15 years. It impacted 13 central coastal provinces. Many domestic and international organisations provided timely support to affected populations. These projects were successful in recovering settlements and rebuilding houses for affected people through the application of a participatory-inclusive approach. This paper evaluates the restoration of settlements and rebuilding of homes in international projects using a participatory approach. The Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance guide to the Development Assistance Committee criteria in Evaluations of Humanitarian Action was used to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability and replicability. Data collection included desk-based research and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from central to local authorities and beneficiary communities. The results showed that a transformation towards a participatory bottom-up approach is crucial for effective recovery and rebuilding efforts.