The countries of the Eastern Caribbean are prone to natural and man made hazards.
These hazards not only affect countries economically but can lead to the loss of lives of children and their families and make children susceptible/vulnerable to violence as well as ill health. During any emergency, it is important for persons to receive timely, accurate information as this plays a critical role in the protecting the health and wellbeing of all persons.
Communication for Development in emergencies seeks to share relevant, action-oriented information so that in humanitarian situation, people in affected communities knows what actions to take to maintain and protect their health and well-being as well as know how and where to access emergency services and supplies. It is also equally important that humanitarian actors listen and understand populations at risk and affected populations to ensure that their interventions are in line with their needs and realities, and to ensure accountability to affected populations (AAP).
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was represented at this training program by Dr. Cedric Van Meebeeck, Climatologist at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology (CIMH), who presented on the Climate variability and Change, and the implications for Disaster preparedness and response. He reminded the gathering that Climate Change is more than just observing the weather patterns but it’s an all-inclusive issue to be carefully looked at. Mrs. Elizabeth Walker, Deputy Chief Education Officer in Ministry of Education et. al, chaired the session on the impact of emergencies on children and their families lessons learnt in Communication from past emergencies in the Caribbean. Mr. Philcol Jeffers, Communications and Marketing Officer in the Ministry of National Mobilisation et. al, Ms. Marla Nanton, Education Officer for Media & Communications in the Ministry of Education et. al, were participants in the training program and is expected to share the information gathered upon return with the key stakeholders of their Ministries.
From June 26-28, 2018, the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area (UNICEF ECA) in collaboration with the Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean (LACRO) and the Child Care Board will be hosting a workshop for key stakeholders to build their capacity and develop an integrated communication strategy for enhanced preparedness and response related to tropical hurricanes.
Participants were drawn from the following sectors regionally:
• Education
• Child Protection
• Government Information Services Departments
• NGOs working in communities
• International Federation of the Red Cross
• UN Agencies
SOURCE: The Ministry Of National Mobilization, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons With Disability And Youth
