Disaster risk reduction begins in school

Today the “International Day on Disaster Reduction” is commemorated with the selection of the best drawings and awards to the best twelve paintings received from the contest “Disaster Reduction begins in School 2006-2007.”

The regional campaign is promoted by four international organizations – including Plan, non-governmental organizations, Ministries of Education in the region with participation from national institutions working in disaster risk reduction, school teachers and children of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Research indicates that climate change will increase the quantity and intensity of natural hazards and its effects will be greater. However, due to the fact that disasters affect both rich and poor countries, its negative impact is much greater on developing countries due to the lack of resources. Since 1990, disasters have taken and average of 58 thousand lives each year affecting an average of 225 million people.

The Latin American and Caribbean painting contest collected more than 2000 works from 20 countries in the region in different techniques and formats, motivating the participation of boys and girls from five to twelve years of age to paint and draw about the importance of knowing their risks of disasters in their communities as well as promoting their rights to continue their education under emergency situations.

The “International Disaster Reduction Begins in School” campaign has been a joint awareness raising effort for the schools, children and communities about the importance of doing mitigation works to reduce the risk to disasters in schools. The initiative has allowed raising awareness in governments, school boards, community members, families and students about the need to incorporate risk reduction and prevention topics in the education training programs that accomplish safer schools and guarantee the welfare of boys, girls and adolescents in the region.

The frequency and severity of disasters like flooding caused recently by Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, with damage of 70 per cent in houses and 100 per cent in agricultural production; or the 7,9 earthquake that destroyed more than 50 per cent of Pisco, in the department of Ica in Peru showed clearly that much more has to be done to guarantee the safety of people, prevent human loss and reduce the economic and social effects of disasters.

According to research done by developing countries, global investment in disaster risk reduction stands at a only four per cent of total humanitarian assistance. Other studies by the World Bank suggest that one dollar spent on prevention can save between two and ten dollars on recovery.

To know the winners of the contest.

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