THE Civil Defence Commission (CDC), pursuing its mandate to ensure vulnerable communities become resistant to disasters, conducted training sessions at Orealla and Siparuta earlier this month.Major Kester Craig, Training and Operations Officer of the CDC, indicated that work is currently ongoing in those communities, with the intention of making them model communities for Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM).
Craig explained that training in community leadership and management is important, as it ensures the requisite knowledge and skills are in place to secure the sustainability of any project, and many community members lack capacity in these areas.
“We are hoping that we can partner with community-based NGOs and the Ministry of Communities. Community-based training helps to strengthen the local government arms at the regional levels,” Craig said.
Anita Wilson, CBDRM Officer and Volunteer Coordinator of the CDC, in an invited comment, said that the CDC and its Region 6 volunteers are being funded by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), to implement a CBDRM project in the community.
“With the communities having established a committee of persons [one for each community] to lead the process, we are building the capacity of the team for disaster risk management and emergency response,” Wilson explained.
Wilson added that the CERT training is aimed at having a team of persons identified who have the requisite knowledge and skills, and so can respond to emergencies which may occur within the community.
Additionally, the Community Leadership training was done so as to establish management teams that will be responsible for the implementation of the DRM’s plans for the community and which are being developed through the project.
“Community Leadership was specifically done because a concern was raised by the residents that they have had many committees established. However, persons lack the leadership skills and qualities to continue the work after agencies pull out. The training was done to mitigate and prevent such an instance in this case,” Wilson said.
Orealla and Siparuta were selected because the CDC’s Development of the Regional DRM for Region 6 had noted that these communities were highly vulnerable because of their distance and remoteness from the rest of the regional network.
“We identified the need to build the community’s systems so that they can be better able to manage and respond before regional interventions are required. The CDC will continue to work with the communities and hopes to feature them during this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction,” Wilson said.
As the CDC continues to implement its project within the communities, upcoming missions will include the development and vetting of emergency disaster plans, and equipping the established committees with kits which would have the necessary equipment, uniforms and other accessories, to be used by committee members.
In 2016, the Civil Defence Commission will be focusing on CBDRM plans in the most vulnerable communities in Regions 4, 6 and 9.