Participants listen to one of the presenter during the session: photo ADRA
THE Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Solomon Islands with support from Catholic and Anglican Church of Melanesian (ACOM) volunteers has successfully concluded a Disaster Training for the Takwa Community in North Malaita, Malaita Province.
The training with a theme “Building a Strong, Safe & Responsive Community,” took place from March 18 to March 22 at Takwa, Lau Mbaelelea.
The objective of the training was to equip the Takwa disaster committee with the necessary skills to reduce, prepare for, and respond to natural disasters effectively. And another component of the training and project was the retrofitting activities and building of a standard sanitation for community which supposed to be user friendly for people with disabilities before, during and after disaster situation.
The training was supported by Ausaid through the Australia Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) and was implemented by ADRA Solomon Islands under the Disaster Ready Church (DRC) Project.
About Fourteen participants, including four females and ten males from surrounding Takwa Community, attended the training.
Duran Taupongi, Project Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at ADRA said that the importance of the training was to enhancing the knowledge and capacity of committee members in managing evacuation centers.
“This workshop has empowered participants to address issues such as Child Protection, Safe Guidelines, the importance of conducting Rapid Assessments during disasters, and providing Psychosocial First Aid’’
“Another part of the training also to broadened the understanding of committee members to understand not only disaster management but also its impacts across different dimensions of life—before, during, and after a disaster. Participants are now equipped to handle various challenges that may arise during such events,’’Mr Taupongi explained.
However Taupongi extended appreciation to the participants for their dedication despite their busy schedules.
“I would like to acknowledge the commitment of key community members, including a nurse and church leaders from Takwa, who attended the training. Despite their demanding community responsibilities, they prioritized participation and contributed to the successful completion of the program. On behalf of the funders and our partners, I commend their commitment and look forward to continued collaboration in the future,” Taupongi concluded.
ADRA PRESS
