2 datasets found

Outcome of the 'Visual Inspection for Defining the Safety Upgrading Strategies’ (VISUS) approach to assess the school safety in the Chimanimani District after the Cyclone Idai. A VISUS survey across 15 schools in the Chimanimani district was conducted to gauge rehabilitation needs and identify key areas to build resilience.

Natural disasters frequently damage or destroy school infrastructure, jeopardizing educational opportunities and putting school children's lives in danger. This was experienced by children and staff members in Zimbabwe, Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in particular during cyclone Idai which hit eastern Zimbabwe in 2019 and the cyclones that followed. More than 140 schools were affected by the floods and the land slides. The situation at St. Charles Lwanga High School, where 200 children, teachers and support staff were stranded for two days and had to face the cyclone, shows the importance of safe school infrastructure. To better prepare for such eventualities, UNESCO through the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project funded by World Bank and managed by UNOPS collaborated with the University of Udine and the University of Zimbabwe to implement the VISUS (Visual Inspection for Defining the Safety Upgrading Strategies), a multi-hazard school safety assessment methodology that help policymakers decide where to focus risk reduction efforts based on available resources and scientific evidence. The VISUS methodology helps assess schools using a holistic, multi-hazard approach that considers five aspects: site conditions, structural performance, local structural criticalities, non-structural components, and functional aspects. The methodology has also been improved to consider outbreak of disease such as COVID-19. The VISUS methodology was conceived as an effective decision making tool for planning risk mitigation actions. The project helped mainstream school safety components into the UNOPS’ School Rehabilitation Program and could contribute to the Civil Protection Unit’s School Disaster Education Programme. The team’s efforts also assisted in making investments decisions to strengthen the safety of schools efficiently and economically.