World Vision Ethiopia

Early Warning System

December 06, 2016

Early Warning System
• Early warning has been defined as the
provision of timely and effective information
through identified institutions that allows
individuals exposed to a hazard to take action
to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for
effective response.
Hyogo framework for action, 2006

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Traditional Approach to
Disaster response

Disaster

Response

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Approaches in responding to disaster…
New Approach
Early Warning

Early Action

Disaster

Response
WV DM Operational Dimensions
Key elements of Effective EWS

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Cross cutting issues in
EWS
• There are a range of overarching issues that
should be taken into account when designing
and maintaining effective early warning
systems.

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Key Actors in EWS
• Communities
• Local Government
• National Governments
• Regional institutions and organizations
• International bodies
• Non-governmental organizations
• The private sector
• The science and academic community
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Overview of WVE EWS

Background
Early period (Before 1995)
• Ethiopia experienced a deadly famine in 1984 to 1985 which
claimed the lives of nearly one Million people. WVE
introduced EWS during this period in parallel with
government to avoid deadly famines.
• The initial focus of WVE’s EW/EAS was on information
collection around agriculture, health and nutrition.
• The system was not supported with organizational structure

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Overview Cont…
• Mid Period (1995 to 2010)
• Between1995 and 2000, a unit dedicated to Early Warning was
set up at NO level and in which began to introduce the systems
and structures that now form the core of the WVE EW/EAS.
• The EW/EAS is integrated across all ADP’s and program
offices.
• Covers the collection of early warning data in a range of
indicators for drought monitoring.

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Overview cont….
Recent EW/EA System
• Organizational structure for EW/EA system is almost the
same with mid period (little change)
• A new EW/EA BUSTER tool introduced to the system by
Global Center
• BUSTER EW/EA tool piloted in East Africa Regional
Offices (Ethiopia is one of the National Offices piloted the
tool)
• All good fruits (features of mid period) continued in the
current system

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Overview Cont…
Achievements of WVE’s EWS
1. Good EW/EA Structure in place which begins from
the community to HO level.
2. Multi-hazard monitoring
3. Good Culture of utilizing EW information for
decision making for early action measures,
preparedness, response etc.
4. AP program Supervisors mandated to revise upto
20% of development program budget for emergency
response
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Overview Cont…
Achievement
• NEPRF introduced to the system
• Multiple level data collection system exercised
• Early indicators, late indicators and stress indicators
monitored
• Information goes from AP to East Africa regional
level through HO.
• Information also goes back from National office to
AP level.

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Challenges
1. Irrelevant indicators for the context
2. Difficulty of getting rainfall information at district level in a
monthly manner from meteorological agency. If one would
get rainfall data, unable to include in the report.
3. Difficult to measure some indicators. For example, there is
an indicator which measure by what percent water sources
(like river) reduced or increased
4. The tool looks like prepared for national level EW reporting
because it requires data like national population number,
inflation rate, mortality rate, etc which potential biase local
level analysis and interpretation.
5. Some data require wide surveys

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Challenges cont…
• Detail manual for measuring some indicators was not provided
and as a result open for subjective bias.
• Could not center people in the system. The tool was not
accompanied with methods and techniques of centering people
in the system.
• Focused more of on scientific facts and with limited room for
indigenous knowledge.

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Lesson
• Early Warning tools like BUSTER are very important for EW
monitoring, but needs to be designed in district/woreda
context.
• Utilizing EW tools for district level still undermines
community level/village level disaster. It would be best if
there is a system that capacitates people to enable them to
monitor hazards and take early action to mitigate or prevent
disasters in their community.
• There must be strong district level collaboration and
partnership among concerned staff with clearly designated
roles and responsibilities

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WORLD VIEW EW Tool
Features

• Builds on the existing achievement

• Multi-hazard monitoring-Enables to monitor
ten categories such as Nutrition, Education,
Health, Economic, Food Security,
Displacement, Political, Conflict,
Environment, and Destabilizing Events
• 30 key indicators
• Each indicator has weight

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WORLD VIEW EW Tool
Features

• Five stages of Risk Monitoring such as Stable,

No significant change, heightened, Worsening
and Emergency
• Threshold to monitor each step
• Has also narrative section
• Web Based

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