Training of Trainers on DRR & CCA for officials and teachers in Thua Thien Hue

On 6-10 November in Hue city, a 5-day Training of Trainers (TOT) on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) was held to increase awareness of participants on the need to reduce disaster risks and enhance capacity building for local authority officials and teachers in the province. These activities are funded by the USAID Green Annamites Project which aims to support the provinces of Thua Thien Hue (TT Hue) and Quang Nam to protect the region ’s significant biodiversity, and help local and ethnic minority communities to diversify and improve their livelihoods during 2016-2020.

Approximately 40 participants attended the training course, including officials from the provincial Department of Education & Training, and high school teachers from Phu Vang, Phu Loc, Huong Tra, Nam Dong, A Luoi, Phong Dien, and Quang Dien districts. By providing a platform for discussion and sharing, the training course aimed to enhance the understanding of DRR and CCA planning processes through capacity building for local government officials, teachers and students to implement disaster resilient development.

During the training course, participants accessed basic knowledge on community-based disaster risk management, the National Programme 1002, and law and regulation for the Reduction of Risk in Natural Disasters in Vietnam. In addition, participants received DRR and CCA training manuals to support training activities in schools. Furthermore, the training course also provided them with a detailed explanation on: 1) various types of disasters happening in their areas (e.g. storm, flood, soil erosion, drought. etc.); 2) vulnerable groups (e.g. women, children, ethnic minority, etc.) who usually struggle to rebuild their livelihoods after a disaster and therefore become more vulnerable to the effects of subsequent hazard events; 3) necessary skills and knowledge for implementing the DRR and CCA communications activities for students in schools.

The training course included several group discussions and experience sharing, as well as practical sessions. During the practical sessions, participants learned mapping of natural disaster risks and their history in the area, school emergency exits and contingency plans. This session aimed to break down the development planning processes into key components and to suggest approaches to deliver DRR and CCA communications activities in schools. After the training course, most of the participants were able to build a relatively complete theoretical framework of teaching in terms of DRR and CCA at school. Through participatory training methods, the training provided both teachers and students with a better understanding of potential disasters and how to minimise risks so that students can transfer this knowledge to their families, and later to the entire community.

“This is the second time I participated in DRR and CCA training course supported by the USAID Green Annamites Project. I think this course is very helpful as I enriched my knowledge and improved my teaching skills to communicate with my students about DRR and CCA activities. We organised some communications events about DRR before and I saw that the students were very interested in these activities as they had the opportunity to play and learn together.”, said Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, teacher of Phu My secondary school, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province.

Assessing the vulnerability of the constructed environment to hazards is extremely important in applying disaster resilient into local development planning process, especially for teachers and students in the province. With increased awareness and a good school-based disaster preparedness, education and safety in schools should improve as well as strengthen the resilience of the community on a larger scale.