Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4576/-1/135/
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DISASTER REDUCTION BEGINS AT SCHOOL "A Little Child Shall Lead Them"
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School children in the Anguilla education system, from pre-school to secondary level, will join their counterparts in the region in participating in a United Nations Public Awareness Campaign called Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School.
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Elizabeth Klute, Hon. Stanley Reid and Mr. Rodney Rey
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The campaign was launched on Monday, April 2, at a meeting of officials from the Governor’s Office, the Government and the Education Department held at the Teachers’ Resource Centre. It is an initiative of the Department of Disaster Management in association with the Ministry and Department of Education and will eventually become part of the schools’ curriculum and therefore more that just a campaign.
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Governor George (right) and others at Opening Ceremony
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Director/Consultant with the Department of Disaster Management, Elizabeth Klute, said it had been proven that the best way to share information with parents, grandparents, other family members and friends was by teaching children.
“Disasters play a role in geography, science, math, reading and practically all topics of basic education, “ she noted. “In this programme, being led by Susan Hodge Programme Officer in the Department of Disaster Management, children will participate in a poster contest; essay contest, disaster education words are being added to the spelling B and many other activities are being added to the general education syllabus.”
She stated that one of the activities would be a board game called ‘riskland’, a fun way to learn how to prevent disasters. “Children are young and eager to learn and as disasters are part of the natural world, they can be fascinating…We look forward to being part of this United Nations-sponsored programme,” she added.
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L-R: Wycliffe Richardson, Hon. Neil Rogers and Hon. Victor Banks
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Other campaign activities will include a local painting competition open to all children 5-12 years old. The artwork of the local winner will be sent to the United Nations to compete against other winners in the Caribbean/Latin America region. A series of emergency/disaster plans and scheduled drills will be developed for all schools. In addition, June 1-8 will be designated ‘Hurricane Awareness Week’ in Anguilla.
Deputy Governor, Stanley Reid, who has responsibility for Disaster Management, said that school children were a good source of information and the opportunity was being taken to spread the message about aspects of disaster management in Anguilla. “We are asking the schoolchildren with the consent of the Ministry and Department of Education to play a leadership role in this venture,” he said.
Mr. Reid, who spoke on the devastating effects in Anguilla by Hurricanes Luis and Lenny in 1995 and 1999 respectively, said the island had moved from a situation of preparing for disasters to actually seeking to manage them, thus reducing the risks. “This is all what this programme – Disaster Reduction Begins at School – is all about...,” he explained. “We cannot avert an event such as a hurricane or an earthquake, but we can do certain things to ensure that if such an event occurs it will not result in a disaster for us here in Anguilla.”
The Deputy Governor continued: “Children are the best messengers in our community. Whether we realise it or not, we do listen to our children…We are hoping that the Disaster Risk Reduction Programme will result in parents, relatives and friends not only hearing children, but heeding them as well.”
He commended Susan Hodge for her efforts in working with the Education Department to get the project off the ground. He also congratulated the Education officials for their receptiveness to get the programme in the school system. “There is still much to be done,” he added. “The exercise world –wide is described as a disaster reduction campaign, but has been put together as an organised course of action comprising a number of activities designed to educate children about natural hazards and the preventative measures they can take to reduce the risks of such natural hazards resulting in disasters.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Rodney Rey, made the point that Anguilla’s geographical position made it vulnerable to hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis. He also said that the island’s physical size as a small low-lying territory, made it vulnerable to the effects of global warming and the anticipated rise in sea level. “Our rapid economic development makes us vulnerable to certain hazards like, oil spills and disasters in the transportation sector. All of this means that the prosperity and standard of living we now enjoy can be eroded in the twinkling of an eye,” he went on.
He observed however that Anguilla could take deliberate action for disaster risk reduction. It would mean that recovery after a disaster would be easier, less costly and less painful.
“In order to make risk reduction a national concern, people must become aware of the role they have to play and then work together as a community,” Rey further said. “Children are important people and they can make a difference in our efforts at disaster risk reduction. We all know the old adage ‘a little child shall lead them’. We believe our children can play a leading role in disaster risk reduction at school, at home and in their communities. Our children spend the better part of the day at school and it is therefore a good place to teach disaster risk reduction. The Ministry and Department of Education are very pleased to endorse this initiative of the Department of Disaster Management.”
Among those present at the launching ceremony were Governor Andrew George, Ministers Victor Banks and Evans Rogers, Chief Education Officer, Rhonda Connor and Andrea Grosvenor of the Barbados-based Caribbean Emergency Disaster Response Agency (CEDRA. Ms. Grosvenor is assisting with the implementation of the disaster risk reduction programme.
The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Daphne Armantrading, Executive Assistant with the Department of Disaster Preparedness.