CHILDREN EVALUATE CIVIL DEFENSE

• Child participation workshops on Disaster Risk Reduction
• In collaboration with Save the Children from 2010 to 2014

Managua, Nicaragua. 25.06.2014. Andrea Núñez-Flores Rey

Around 200 children evaluate the Civil Defense in their project "Disaster Risk Reduction with Children Rights Approach in Regions I, II and VI" in June. Workshops are held in vulnerable communities of León, El Cuá, Estelí and Nueva Segovia to hear the feedback of the kinds on the work done in coordination with Save the Children from 2010 to 2014.

 "The Civil Defense has come for years to our school. They taught us what to do during an earthquake, how we have to leave the house or the safe places in our community. They also teach us not to pollute and the rights of children", says Josué, a 12-year-old boy from the community Goyena Norte, in León.

 "Over the past four years, Civil Defense has trained kids, teens, parents and teachers in vulnerable communities in four municipalities on Disaster Risk Reduction risk  with a focus on the rights of children," explains Lieutenant Colonel Ramos.

Courses are held once a year for two days and the goal is to identify vulnerabilities and threats to create responses and prevent damage to the population. It works in coordination with the Local Committee for Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters (COLOPRED). "The purpose is to train COLOPRED response brigades, people volunteer to help with disaster risk reduction, who are the multipliers of the message" Lieutenant Colonel adds. 

"The topic most discussed in León is rights in emergency situations; because that is when children are most at risk of abuse or that their rights are violated. But also, the threats most discussed in Nicaragua are floods and earthquakes. Earthquakes are more dangerous but the floods are more common and generate a lot of damage” explains Manuel Ulloa, Project Manager Civil Defense.

During the workshops, the children identified risk factors - such as poor construction of houses-, protection measures -the need  to care for kids in emergencies- and action plans to prevent children being abused -for instance, maintaining affective family relationships and good communication-.

"The goal of this workshop is also that young people interact with children from other communities and they share their ideas and experiences," confirms Manuel Ulloa.