Officials participate in NEMO/CDEMA one-day workshop for the Living Schools Project

Officials from the Ministry of Education, teachers and members of staff of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) took part in a one-day capacity building workshop for the Living Schools component of the CARICOM Brazil Cooperation Programme yesterday.{{more}}

The workshop was organized by NEMO in collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Its intention was to build capacity for implementation of the Knowledge Management Toolkit, which had been drafted in the earlier phase of the Living School Project. Specifically, the workshop engaged disaster risk managers and educators in development of a Disaster Jeopardy Game which can be used to promote disaster awareness and interest in disaster risk management issues among school children aged 5-15 years.

The workshop took place at NEMO’s Conference Room and was led by Project Consultant Dr Balfour Spence.

Under this project, the facilities at the Lowmans Leeward Primary School were enhanced as a shelter by the addition of indoor sanitation facilities and back-up water supply. Four shower units were constructed and a 1,000 gallon water tank installed, at a total cost of EC$26,098.50 or US$10,000.

The Fitz-Hughes Government School will also benefit from this project. A maximum amount of US$10,000.00 will be provided under the project to install showers and water storage tanks. Work will commence by mid-February, 2012.

The CARICOM-Brazil Cooperation Programme on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is an outcome of the Brasilia Declaration of the First CARICOM/Brazil Summit held on April 26, 2010, in Brasilia, Brazil. The Declaration addresses a wide range issues for closer technical collaboration and cooperation, including strengthening of humanitarian assistance initiatives and fostering best practices for the reduction of risks related to disaster. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is the lead regional agency for implementing this DRR Programme in CARICOM.