Crisis management workshop a success

Following a successful workshop on crisis management, participants are considering forming a National Trauma Response Team.{{more}}

The crisis management workshop, which was hosted by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Seventh-Day Adventist Mission and the Ministries of Health and Education, came to an end on March 6.

At the closing ceremony, Pastor Dermoth Baptiste, president of the mission, voiced his belief that the participants are now better equipped to deal with persons who were traumatized, following a natural disaster.

“I believe that the information that has been disseminated, the new concepts that you have been exposed to will serve you and will add to the repertoire of competencies that you already have, as you help to serve suffering humanity, especially in times of crisis,” Baptiste told participants.

While describing the SDA church as one that is mission-focused, goal-oriented and people-centred, Baptiste revealed that they were happy to provide this workshop, which cost approximately EC$50 000, to the participants.

Chief nursing officer, Peggy DaSilva thanked the SDA mission and collaborating ministries, for partnering and producing a workshop for a worthy cause.

In reference to the cost of the workshop, DaSilva noted: “we really cannot put a value to this kind of capacity building, because it will be far reaching.”

“We know that in times of crisis we need each other and this capacity building workshop exercise will go a long way in helping persons in times of crisis. So, I know that you will put what you have learnt into practice…that you will not keep the information that you have learned here, but you will put it into practice to help mankind,” the chief nursing officer said.

Like DaSilva, Aldia Gumbs-Dyer, the senior education officer for curriculum, urged persons not to sit on the information that they were given.

“I want to urge you to continue to work hard when you go out and to be tolerant and kind to the children and people in general whom you meet. I also want to urge you to share as much of this as possible. When you go out, there will be other interested persons as well, who would have wanted to attend this programme, but probably either didn’t have the time or the opportunity,” she said.

In an overview of the workshop, facilitator Winnetta Baker, the leader of the International Behavioural Health Trauma Team, declared that the four days were extremely productive.

Before giving out certificates to all participants, who came from varying ministries, she revealed that the group went into the schools on the last day and practised what they were taught in the workshop, with children from the affected areas.