Disaster Management and Mitigation – My experience with the International Organization on Migration in Dominica

By Rachael Kalaba, 1st year MDP student

Racheal and the IOM Dominica country team

As I write this paper, I take the opportunity to thank the International Organization on Migration (IOM) and Dominica Red Cross for having supported and welcomed me. I had a fantastic opportunity to interact and work with two organizations as part of my MDP international placement.

The IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Furthermore, the work is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals that support communities to be more resilient in disaster risk management. IOM Dominica has been working on restoring communities and livelihoods with an emphasis on disaster risk reduction strategies (DRR). The 2017 Hurricane Maria destroyed 95% of houses and livelihoods in Dominica. One of the challenges was realizing that many families affected by Hurricane Maria remain in tents, makeshift shelters, emergency shelters, with host families, in inadequately repaired structures and/or in unsuitable locations. IOM was able to support renovation of emergency shelters across Dominica and I was privileged to have been part of the last phase of the project.

Former Kalinago Chief at a community engagement meeting

I learned a lot in terms of how IOM is working closely with all stakeholders, government and other humanitarian organizations in Dominica, in handing over the renovated shelters and supporting to internally displaced families. IOM in its quest to support DRR work was able to launch a handbook for emergency shelters managers. I was able to work closely with the IOM staff on their daily tasks.  

Disaster risk reduction cuts across different sectors of development. There are 25 targets related to disaster risk reduction in 10 of the 17 SDGs, firmly establishing the role of disaster risk reduction as a core development strategy, IOM Dominica through its work has been able to create most of the works through interventions such as trainings livelihood, production of handbooks and renovation of houses and emergency shelters across the country.

Launch of Emergency shelters

My encounter with Red Cross was more about understanding of community-led emergency disaster plan for the Kalinago Territory and how this can be established. Furthermore, my interest was developed through my work as a volunteer under the disaster management team as a responder with the Canadian Red Cross in Winnipeg. I worked briefly with Red Cross and though their support and working with the Kalinago Territory. One of the achievements of working with Red Cross led to opening of the Kalinago Territory Branch. In understanding that we are there to work with the community, using the Red Cross methodology of community-led planning.

Indigenous community engagement – My experience in the Kalinago Territory, Dominica

By Racheal Kalaba, 1st year MDP student

Racheal doing community outreach

My international placement was in the Kalinago Territory with the Kalinago people of Waitukubuli in the Commonwealth of Dominica. The Kalinago are the only surviving pre-Columbus Indigenous people that hold reserve land in the Caribbean. The uniqueness of the territory is that the Kalinago people fully own the land as part of the Dominica constitution. In my quest to understand and work with the Kalinago, I reflected on the principles of engaging communities based on my objectives of supporting communities in the area of disaster management and planning with an Indigenous perspective.

Red Cross team meeting with Kalinago

youth as part of the 1st meeting to set up

the 1st Red Cross Branch in Kalinago Territory

My placement aimed to work with Indigenous people and support existing systems and structures dealing with disasters, especially after The Commonwealth of Dominica was hit with Hurricane Maria in late 2017.  I reflected on ways of engaging with communities positively, taking into account that I was just there for a few months. In my engagement, I aligned myself with policies based on the situations I encountered with different stakeholders in the community. Firstly, I took the time to define what the word community meant to me and my placement. During that time, I engaged in Indigenous ways of doing and being. I also acknowledged that, for a community to function well, I needed to be aware of Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, governance, and community participation. I knew that I was there to support and build on what the community was already doing, and hence, my role was to facilitate the self-determination, participation, and engagement of community members.

Why then community engagement: Throughout my time in Kalinago territory, I learned that Indigenous communities are expecting you to be part of them, engage with them, and share ideas and work with them. My role as an MDP student during the placement was to be part of the community and position myself and my role. Furthermore, to share with the community my role, which was shared learning, I was there to learn and to support and vise versa. 

Racheal with a community member known for her

amazing chicken and her storytelling ability

My takeaway during the placement is that communities have vast knowledge, and due to disasters, they face a lot of stress after disasters, which makes it difficult for them to rebuild back their communities. Key learning during my experience in Kalinago is to be aware of Indigenous principles. Some Indigenous principles are respect for protocol, culture, language, reciprocity, relationships, and wellbeing are vital. I noticed my involvement with the Kalinago peoples is that culture is more about living and or staying in the territory, but it is also families, workplaces, social, religious, and political associations. I was privileged through the support of Mr. Irvince Auguste and his family for having allowed me to experience Indigenous community life and work and be able to share their stories and daily life. I also want to thank the Chief of Council, the Councilors and community members of the Kalinago Territory in Dominica.

“Mapuwika”

By Nathan McCorrister, MDP student

Nathan (L) and Irvince Auguiste (R)

After being in the Kalinago Territory in Dominica for over a month now the practicum has been an amazing life time experience for me.  The people, the territory and country have been great and the scenery breathtaking.  Our host the Kalinago Nation Chief and Council, various community members and in particular Councillor Irvince Auguiste have been great hosts and tending to all our needs.  After being here for a period of time I’ve definitely settled in began making connections and friends with many of the locals in the territory.

Shortly after my arrival in the territory, Chief Joseph and I talked about some of the issues around land management and economic development for the Kalinago Territory.  He shared with me how there are issues with land management; he described how much of the territory is not demarcated (land surveyed) properly both in terms of the outer boundaries and internally within the territory.  In the Kalinago Territory, it is believed the lands set aside as “reserve” lands for the Kalinago people are being encroached upon.  The Kalinago people believe that there may be some boundary disputes because of past encroachments and that existing reserve land is smaller in size because of the encroachments.

Chief Garnet Joseph (L),

Jacqueline Corbette, Administrative Assistant for the Kalinago Council (C) & Nathan at Kalinago Council Office

There are many land management issues and related land based economic development barriers the Kalinago have to overcome. I’m currently working with the local council to identify all the land management and land based economic issues and to develop a strategy to address them. Through preliminary research we identified that there are many previous reports and plans with respect to improving land management and land based economic development for the Kalinago. As such we identified the need to bring together many of the reports and plans and to develop a strategic plan for the Kalinago to implement many of the past recommendation’s.  Included with the strategic plan is a built in action plan and recommendations to address many of the human resource and financial challenges.      

As part of the strategic plan development, I recognized the need to understand the colonial history and colonization efforts of the national government; both past and present. The Kalinago shared with me how they want to protect their rights, their culture and their identity as indigenous people. As part of my research I wanted to ensure the previous plans and recommendations included participatory methods for the Kalinago.  I wanted to ensure there was previous indigenous research methods approach and including a number of ways for the inclusion, direction and consent of the Kalinago. As part of considering land management, we included previous input from community elders, leaders and other community members who participated through focus groups, community meetings and one on one interviews.  

Serpent Snake Trail - Kalinago Creation Story

The Kalinago are making efforts to include traditional, cultural knowledge and practices to land management.  The challenge is with balancing traditional land management, modern day problems including limited land, population growth, and economic development.  In addition to land management, the Kalinago are taking efforts to revitalize their cultural medicine practices, the Kalinago language of Mapuwika, and art of the people.  While here I was humbled and proud of the Kalinago as fellow Indigenous people in recognizing the importance of decolonization and indigenizing their identity.

My time has ended in Dominica

By Gabrielle Heroux, 2nd year MDP student

  

The last month of my placement, since my first blog post, was a busy one.  There were a number of events planned for the first week of July, to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the creation of the Kalinago Territory on July 4.  One of these was a workshop on land, held on July 4, organized to bring together members of the community to discuss questions of land value, land ownership and inheritance, boundary markers, land as an economic asset, and land protection and degradation.  There were about 15-20 participants, including former chiefs, youth, entrepreneurs, and other Kalinago residents.  Through discussions and small focus group sessions, the participants identified priority issues and produced recommendations that will be worked into a strategic action plan to guide development. 

The next day, I was invited to participate in a hike of the northern boundary of the Territory.  What an experience!  Preceded by men with machetes, hacking a path through the brush, we trekked up and down hills, through lush rainforest, farmland, and ravines.  It had rained during the night, and poured that morning, so the terrain was muddy and slippery and a little bit treacherous.  Along the way, we ate freshly picked mangoes, drank coconut water straight from the source, and heard stories about the families who have inhabited the area for generations.  We ended our hike, dirty, sweaty, and even bloody, with a deeply satisfying swim in the Pagua River. 

Pagua River

 Beach town near Portsmouth

In the weeks that followed, I continued my research on sources of funding for individuals or groups within the Kalinago Territory.  I also had a very interesting meeting with a representative of the National Bank of Dominica, to discuss their policies and practices regarding lending to Kalinago people, and the bank’s perspective on potential partnerships, or other ways forward. 

My time in Dominica was a terrific experience, due mainly to the amazing people I met during my placement.  It has been two weeks since I left, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss that beautiful island, and the community that took me in for three unforgettable months.  I learned so much, and will be forever grateful.