Basic HTML Version
6
In early April, the Training and Capacity Building team supported the Solomon Islands National Disaster
Management Office (NDMO) to provide disaster risk management training to 71 students from the Solomon
Islands College of Higher Education (SICHE) and personnel from other key agencies such as Red Cross, Save
the Children Fund, Oxfam, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. This training marked the sixth
year of a capacity building partnership between the NDMO, SICHE, the Ministry of Health and SPC/SOPAC to
mainstream understanding of disaster risk management and decentralise post disaster initial damage and
needs assessment at provincial and community level.
In previous years, the primary target group for this training was final year students in SICHE’s Diploma of
Nursing programme, which incorporates disaster risk management training within its curriculum. This year,
the participation was widened to include students enrolled in SICHE’s Bachelor Degree of Nursing Programme.
In May and June this training will be conducted for nursing schools in the Malaita and Western Provinces.
A team of national trainers with extensive disaster risk management experience facilitated the training, many
of who have been involved with the training at SICHE for the past three years. Through this training, the
NDMO demonstrated its capacity to organise and produce the relevant training materials and conduct disaster
risk management training after acquiring the skills, techniques, and knowledge through their attendance at
regional training and capacity building initiatives under the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Programme
(PDRMP) implemented by the Disaster Reduction Programme (DRP).
Loti Yates, Director of the Solomon Islands NDMO stated “as public officials, the participants from the training
will take the knowledge and skills they gained to their province of assignment where they will be able to
provide much needed guidance to community leaders to support informed decisions about development and
associated risks.” Mr Yates added “because of the wide distribution of islands that we have in the Solomons,
a simple risk reduction activity such as raising awareness on disaster risk becomes an onerous task for our
stakeholders. More importantly, during disasters,
the nursing students provide a vital link between
the National Emergency Operations Centre and the
communities in facilitating fast and efficient response
information to cater appropriately for the needs of
disaster affected communities. This is why we are
focusing more on this form of mainstreaming and it
augers well with the outcomes of the recent review
in the disaster risk management arrangements of the
Solomon Islands in which the health sector now plays
a major role in the national health cluster in promoting
public health awareness and ensuring quick medical
and public health support to the disaster affected
population” said NDMO Director Yates.
Introduction to Disaster Management
and Initial Damage Assessment Training
Course – Solomon Islands College of
Higher Education (SICHE)
Brian Tom (Provincial Disaster Officer/ Isabel Province) facilitates a session at the
SICHE IDM/ IDA Training.