This guide seeks to assist MFIs in defining an institutional strategy for disaster preparedness. It lays out the steps for assessing the potential risk of disaster, the clients’ needs and the institutional capacity to respond.

Based on assessments, it offers a variety of recommendations for internal preparedness as well as examples of financial products that could mitigate the impact of disaster on clients.

Secondly, this guide provides references to tools and guidelines which institutions may use in rolling out their decided strategies.

The guide is organized as a series of exercises and references to tools to assist Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)to plan and implement a disaster management strategy. It helps MFIs assess the risk of a disaster, their clients’ needs and their own institutional capacity to respond. Finally, it offers guidance for preparation, response and recovery. The guide addresses the following topics in this sequence:

1. Assessment of Risk
2. Institutional preparedness
3. Client preparedness
4. Emergency response
5. Recovery

Institutions preparing for natural disasters before they occur will find this guide useful. Institutions in the wake of a natural disaster may find some helpful emergency response and recovery tools, but successful use of those tools will depend on the institution’s existing capacity.