As part of the Caritas India Navjeevan Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program, the first batch of four days residential Training of Trainers (TOT) program was organised on 26^th October 2021 at Alleppey hosted by Alleppey Diocesan Charitable & Social Welfare Society. The training was conducted for 15 DRR Coordinators and 15 selected task force volunteers from 15 dioceses in collaboration with Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is the systematic development and application of policies, strategies and practices to minimize vulnerabilities, hazards and the unfolding of disaster impacts throughout society, in the broad context of sustainable development.

Taskforce volunteers play a major role during times of crisis across the world. Whenever we form a group of volunteers, it is important to give them training so that they handle the different tasks ahead of them in the same way. It is important to give them a similar curriculum and techniques of handling tasks. This will result in the volunteers maintaining consistency in their volunteering whether it’s through how they interact with people, how they use the tools around them and their expectations from the entire process. It gives task force volunteers confidence to perform their duties properly, through task force volunteer training, the task force volunteers get a sense of self-confidence because they are able to believe in themselves and their ability to succeed in their volunteering mission.

The training aims to capacitate task force volunteers and DRR coordinators as master trainers on early warning, search and rescue, first aid and camp management. This training will also be conducted at the community level to build the capacity of task force volunteers by the Master trainers in 310 disaster clinics which were formed by Caritas India under the Navjeevan DRR program.

The participants received a basic understanding of disasters and learnt to develop Community Managed Early Warning Model that can be replicated by the 62 master trainers in their respective training locations in Disaster Clinics. The knowledge and capacity building of master trainers on Camp Management & Development of localized Camp Management Tool Kits gave a thorough understanding of the concepts. All the 62 master trainers were certified in first aid based on their capacities.

Ms Siby Paulose (Program Associate, Caritas India) delivered the welcome speech, the concept of DRR are shared by Mr Armstrong Alexander, Thematic Associate, HA- DRR Caritas India.  Rev. Dr James Rahel, Anaparampil, Bishop of Alappuzha Diocese delivered the keynote address and inaugurated the training with Adv. A.M, Arif, MP, Alappuzha Constituency.  The message of the day was done by Rev. Fr. Samson Anjiliparambil, Executive Director, ADS Alappuzha.