Five-day disaster preparedness workshop for Swat concludes

Islamabad:The Community Resilience Activity North hosted a five-day workshop in Qandeel, Tehsil Bahrain, focusing on empowering local communities to address natural disasters. Participants from Thelba, Chamot Abad, and Jheil, comprising 45 individuals, including both youth and elders, actively engaged in the workshop. Additionally, a dedicated session for 15 women was conducted in Bahrain, Swat, says a press release.

During the workshop, participants were trained on disaster risk reduction plans in their areas, first aid, and firefighting techniques used during disasters. In the workshop, emphasis was placed on ensuring that every individual’s perspective was considered in the collective effort to build a resilient society.

Sherzada - principal of Government High Secondary School, Madyan, Tehsil Bahrain was the chief guest of the workshop. 

Addressing the occasion, he said; “I am delighted to witness the tangible benefits that the CRA-N workshop has brought to our community. The proactive steps taken by CRA-N, such as the development of a water channel for flood-affected areas and the reconstruction of damaged schools, are noteworthy. This initiative ensures that students in the affected areas have the chance to continue their education despite the challenges they’ve faced. It’s heartening to see an organization not only addressing immediate challenges but also investing in the long-term well-being of our community.”

Participants in the workshop participated in the emergency response exercises conducted during the 1122 training. This experience allowed them to practice important skills in their village. They took a visit to their own villages; Thelba, Chamot Abad, and Jheil, In this interactive session, the participants planned to realize the risks through mutual consultation. A participant of the workshop on the occasion said: “The session was an opportunity for community members to contribute to a comprehensive disaster management strategy”.

During the workshop, the trainees participated in the formation of the village disaster management committee and its sub-committees. Each member contributed to the definition of specific roles and participated practically to strengthen the community’s disaster preparedness.

Nida Khan, resident from Jheil, expressed her views and said, “Through this workshop, we have been taught to plan comprehensively and practically how to deal with the risks and to form a committee to deal with the risks at the regional level. The practical exercises during the workshop are very useful for all the residents of the area. I hope that the learnings from this workshop will enable everyone in our region to work together to pre-empt future disasters.”

Resident from Jheil (village of Bahrain), Zahoor Ahmed, a trainee of the workshop, said; “I am glad that every session of the workshop proved to be beneficial for us. The information gained from the community risk assessment sessions equipped us with the tools to understand the potential risks and vulnerabilities. A mock risk scenario has been provided, and through the practical workshop of 1122, we got an opportunity to realise our potential, these exercises not only taught us how to keep ourselves safe but also how to protect our area.

To support the creation of disaster-proof local communities, Community Resilience Activity-North organises training sessions so that local communities can ensure the safety of themselves and others before and during natural disasters, through these training workshops, the residents can play an active role in identifying and responding to risks associated with potential floods, earthquakes, and climate change.