UP joins US-funded consortium to ‘save lives before disasters strike’

MANILA, Philippines—The University of the Philippines (UP) has joined a consortium of universities across the globe which would try to prevent lives from being lost to natural calamities, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said.

In a Dec. 8 statement, USAID said it set aside a $3-million funding support for its partnership with seven universities which will “build the evidence base for early actions that save lives before disaster strikes.”

“This consortium of universities will encourage innovations that help humanitarian organizations and communities act early to respond to emergencies,” USAID said.

The consortium will be led by Tufts University in the US. Besides UP, the five other universities included Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, Makerere University in Uganda, National University of Lesotho and University of Namibia.

“This new project will collaboratively evaluate real-time anticipatory action programs –or programs that focus on anticipating and preparing for disasters to mitigate their impact–to identify the most effective ways to help the most vulnerable people before a crisis pushes them further into life-threatening situations,” USAID said.

“The goal is to help communities in more than 60 countries over two years,” it said.

“The project will also conduct research to support and strengthen the design, data collection, analysis, and reporting of evaluation results of anticipatory action efforts,” USAID added.

USAID said it estimated that in 2022, “one in 29 people are projected to need humanitarian assistance to survive—a record high.”

“To meet the vast needs, research like this is critical as the international community looks for innovative, cost-effective ways to save more lives and support the early recovery of vulnerable populations,” according to USAID.

TSB