This week, the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre is running its annual ‘Women & Girls: (In)visible Force of Resilience programme’, taking a group of Sarepta Secondary learners through various modules to help them become champions of change and resilience in their communities. Read more below:
The annual programme has its roots in the 2012 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction theme, that celebrated women and girls as key figures in disaster reduction, mitigation and recovery.
The theme also highlighted:
- That their ability to contribute is hindered by a lack of inclusion and poor understanding of gender inequality
- The need for society to move away from viewing and portraying women and girls as victims
- Stories of action and initiative by women and girls, and the obstacles that prevent them from participating in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
This year, the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) is hosting 22 Grade 11 learners from Sarepta Secondary.
On the agenda is learning about disaster management concepts and how to be an emergency ambassador, leadership skills and conflict resolution; a focus on climate change, which includes a hike in the Helderberg Nature Reserve; First-Aid training; basic firefighting; a self-defence course and an environmental health programme.
‘We face numerous disaster risks in Cape Town, and the impacts from the recent severe weather episodes showed once more why this particular intervention, but also the outreach work done year-round by our Disaster Risk Management Centre is so critical. Our motto is that disaster management is everyone’s business, and this cannot be more true. The more involved the public is, the higher the chance of successfully mitigating any challenges that come our way.
‘The Women & Girls programme is designed to help learners think differently about their environment, and the role they can play in safeguarding their communities. And it stretches beyond the theoretical, with practical, hands on experiences. I hope that the group this year makes the most of their time together, and that they’ll pass on everything they’ve learnt to their peers, families and friends,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
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