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Introducing 'DiMP' DiMP was first established in August 1996 within SADEP (Southern African Development Education and Policy Research) at the University of the Western Cape, where it launched a five-country Community Drought Mitigation Project with partners in Limpopo Province, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In 1998, DiMP relocated to the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at University of Cape Town. Shortly, thereafter, it secured a GBP 550 000 agreement from ODA (now DFID) to implement three Periperi projects in southern Africa focusing on the promotion of rainwater harvesting, reduction of urban vulnerability and strengthening drought-prone livelihoods. Working across seven countries in southern Africa in the ensuing three years, Periperi jump-started rainwater harvesting activities in many countries, promoted the increasing importance of urban vulnerability in southern Africa and generated a further three publications: ‘Learning about livelihoods: insights from southern Africa ‘Urban vulnerability: perspectives from southern Africa’ ‘Risk, Sustainable Development and Disasters: southern perspectives’.
DRR capacity building in DRR through applied scholarship Since its inception, DiMP has successfully implemented professional short courses, introduced a graduate Disaster Risk Science programme (honours, masters and PhD), generated numerous publications and undertaken nationally and provincially-commissioned research on disaster impacts across the Western Cape. DiMP has always given priority to building understanding of disaster risks that predominate in the Western Cape - through extensive applied research into informal settlement risks, as well as the impacts resulting from recurrent extreme weather events. It has trained more than 400 development and disaster management practitioners in disaster risk reduction and by the end of 2009, will have generated over 30 honours or masters graduates in disaster risk science. During this time, DiMP has engaged with a diversity of stake-holders and role-players, including international non-governmental organizations, international and bilateral assistance partners, as well as local, provincial and national government stake-holders. International Profile With respect to its international stature, DiMP is widely regarded as Africa’s most experienced disaster risk reduction capacity development and research center. In this context, it is the regional administration and technical support point for ProVention’s Applied Grantee Programme – covering Africa and the Middle East, as well as the focal point for the African Urban Risk Analysis Network. In addition, DiMP is the project manager for ‘Periperi U’ – a project to strengthen capacity-development in risk reduction in other African universities. It is also a central member of the global PHREE-Way initiative (Partnership for Humanitarian and Risk Education Expansion), along with the Center for Humanitarian Cooperation.
Link to other PeriPeri U Partners: USTHB /LBE - Algeria | University of Ghana: Urban Environmental Management and Disaster Risk Reduction Study Group | Makerere University School of Public Health (MUSPH) | Ardhi University and its Associated Disaster Management Training Centre (DMTC) | Introducing the DESS Multidisciplinaire en GRC | Introducing Gaston Berger University | Moi University, School of Public Health Profile
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Feb.08
