By Nyima Sillah
A hazard mapping training organized by the National Disaster Management Agency for students from Banjul, Kanifing Municipality and West Coast Region Tuesday commenced.
The training seeks to provide the participated students important information to understand risks of natural hazards and help mitigate disasters. It will also help students to build resilience in their communities.
Kawsu Barrow, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the NDMA and Project Coordinator, said the main objectives of the training are to raise awareness of students to make them understand Disaster Risk Reduction principles and methodologies.
He said the project has already started working with the educational system to mainstream disaster risk reduction in the school curriculum in the Gambia.
“We have trained teachers who are in the education system because their role in our society and disaster risk management is very crucial. Flood is one of the major hazard affecting live and livelihood of the people in the country,” he said.
Alhagie Jallow, Principal Education Officer No. 2, commended NDMA and said the training will avail students opportunity to acquire skills, knowledge and attitude for them to participate fully in disaster risk reduction in The Gambia.
NDMA Regional Coordinator for the Kanifing Municipality, Bubacarr Fofana, added that people need to change their attitudes. ‘‘In this country we have attitude problem towards disaster management. the anti-littering law is in the country but people are not adhering to it, all is because of our attitudinal problem.”
