The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
DEVELOPMENT partners have been urged to capacitate communities at risk of disasters with disaster management skills before everyone else as they are the ones who respond first to disasters.
Speaking during a Zimbabwe National Commission (ZIMNATCOM) for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) workshop this morning, Secretary for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Affairs, Mr Edgars Seenza said there is need for a paradigm shift on who receives disaster risk management training first.
He said communities are left incapacitated when disaster strikes as they are usually untrained on how to respond to the disasters, and waiting for development partners to chip in, thereby causing unnecessary loss of lives that could have been avoided had they been trained.
“The first responders when it comes to disasters are the community members as they are already on the ground and living within the area affected by disaster but when they are not equipped with the technical know-how on how to assist victims in disasters, then they do not know how to respond.
“They should be equipped with first aid knowledge of what to do when disaster strikes and immediate help is needed and this should be done before disasters,” he said.
In an interview, ZIMNATCOM Deputy Secretary General, Mr Manoti Magava reiterated Mr Seenza’s sentiments, saying his organisation stands for the inclusion of the whole community including children who are still in school as they are the custodians of intangible cultural heritage, even when disaster strikes.
