Empowering children and youth to be agents of change for more resilient communities
According to the World Meteorological Organization, a disaster related to a weather, climate or water hazard occurred every day on average over the past 50 years. Children and youth, comprising over half the global population, are disproportionately affected by disasters. Often hit first and hardest when disasters strike, their safety, health and education are always at highest risk. UNICEF estimates that nearly 1 billion children have been impacted by disasters since 2000, with over 80,000 schools damaged or destroyed.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed on 13 October every year to promote a global culture of risk awareness and preparation. This year's theme - 'Empowering the next generation for a resilient future' - highlights the role of education in protecting and empowering youth for a disaster-free future.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works towards reducing the disaster risk of school-aged children and youth across the world. We protect children and youth through safe schools and education facilities while we empower them to be safe and become agents of change for more resilient communities.
North Macedonia
In North Macedonia, UNDP conducts simulation drills in elementary schools throughout the Polog region. By simulating realistic scenarios, these drills create a controlled environment for participants to practice their emergency roles and improve their responses. This hands-on approach helps in not only identifying and addressing weaknesses in existing emergency plans but also fostering a culture of readiness. As a result, students and school staff enhance their preparedness and ensure their safe evacuation in the event of emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, landslides and fires.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, UNDP empowers school children to be resilient to tsunamis by conducting tsunami evacuation drills in which more than 9,700 school children, teachers and community members have participated to date. UNDP also protects children and youth from disasters like tsunamis by supporting an agreement between the local government in Bali and eight hotels to use their buildings as safe areas or by enhancing mobile applications to support safer schools. For example, integrating the STEP-A app (Strengthening Tsunami and Earthquake Preparedness) enables schools to record their tsunami preparedness into InaRISK (Indonesia's national digital platform), so that the risk data that is analysed through InaRISK is delivered in real time to the public through the app.
UNDP's work in Indonesia is part of the regional Tsunami Project that has supported a total of 210,000 students and teachers from 520 schools in 24 Asia-Pacific countries to participate in tsunami drills.
Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, UNDP developed a School Disaster Risk Reduction Teaching Guide to educate children and teachers about the various types of disasters, their causes, preventive mechanisms and ways of responding to them. These enable children to become agents of change for more resilient communities by empowering them to act on the risks they face and take early action in response to early warnings.
Disaster School Clubs raise awareness on disaster mitigation in their schools and communities. Students and teachers also learn about disaster preparedness through creative activities like school plays, debates and quiz competitions with other schools in the region. In one school, the blind school band composed a song on Protecting Children Through Safe Schools.
Ecuador
In the city of Esmeraldas in Ecuador, UNDP encourages children and adolescents to reflect on the climate risks in their environment and the necessary preparedness and adaptation measures through the puppet show "Manuela and Count Climate Change". Since the launch of the educational play in February 2023, 18 performances have been held in the city's schools, reaching 2,420 children between the ages of 4 and 12. Through a playful and dynamic narrative, the children learned about protecting mangroves, the importance of avoiding deforestation on hillsides, and how actions such as recycling and saving energy contribute to combating climate change.
Join our efforts to educate and empower children and youth to become the changemakers of today and tomorrow for a disaster-free future. Let's join forces and take action in building resilient communities, fostering intergenerational dialogue and amplifying the voices of the next generation.
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