Disaster Preparedness Programme in the Municipality of Dulce Nombre de Culmí, Honduras, in collaboration with the Swiss Red Cross

In August 2009, Swiss Re entered into a partnership with the Swiss Red Cross to promote a programme with the main aim of expanding capacity for risk prevention, ie exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences in risk management

Disaster prevention and risk education are part of Swiss Re's corporate citizenship programme. By extending financial funds and risk management expertise to selected partners, the Group strives to develop solutions to environmental and social issues that are relevant to its business and to society as a whole.

Disaster prevention as part of our corporate citizenship programme

Based on our risk management expertise, we endeavour to support the development of practical solutions to humanitarian challenges. Teaching victims of disasters about how to prevent these and providing them with risk education is a key target of our humanitarian initiatives.

Besides cover for damage after a disaster has occurred, proactive risk mitigation strategies are of increasing importance. Proactive measures, combined with educational initiatives, can significantly reduce the potential devastation caused by a certain disaster.

With the intention of making a tangible contribution to this goal, we have entered into long-term partnerships with leading organisations in the field. The partnership with the Swiss Red Cross aims to prevent humanitarian crisis as a consequence of natural disasters.

Project objectives

The project’s main objective is to increase the natural risk awareness of the population and the local authorities and to improve the living conditions of the population of by:

Extending the national Disaster Preparedness System to 20 communities:
Organising and educating population and village committees
Identification and mapping of risk zones
Reforestation and the protection of water resources
Strengthening the disaster preparedness capacity of local health centres: training Red Cross volunteers in community-based first aid