The Capacity Strengthening for Emergency Response in Africa (SERA) program is part of a partnership between the Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Canada. A large part of the SERA program involves training local Red Cross Societies in partner countries to help them be better prepared to handle disasters.
Because of current unrest, the Canadian Red Cross South Sudan team relocated to Ethiopia in early August. After they relocated, the Ethiopian Red Cross invited the Canadian Red Cross to provide some training about camp shelter and relief management for the Ethiopian Branch Response Team training.
The comprehensive training included both presentations and practical, hands-on learning. It dealt with things like how to manage and coordinate a camp including working with a host or local community to set up committees to make sure things like shelter, food, and other essential needs are provided for. They also examined how to design community units and how to provide proper infrastructure for shelters as well as how to provide immediate and ongoing relief such as water, food, shelter, health services, sanitation and other needs – and how to coordinate with governments and other agencies to track the distribution of items. Part of the training was also emphasizing just how important volunteers are, and how to best utilize them to manage camps and engage communities.
Ethiopia is currently experiencing a number of
silent disasters, including drought, flooding, and conflict throughout the country. Training such as this helps to prepare their disaster response team to respond when and where they are needed. Those who participated in the training are better equipped to be deployed to areas affected by crisis.
Ato Wegi, branch head for the Arsi zone Ethiopian Red Cross spoke about the training, saying “these trainings came at the right moment where our district is hosting drought, flood and conflict and the area we are hosting the training, Dera district, is most overwhelmed by current conflict. We have a gap in well-trained and well-equipped disaster response team, and for that the Canadian Red Cross/SERA is trying to make a difference.”
Training like this is an important way to help sister Red Cross Societies have better capacity to respond to disasters and emergencies the moment they happen.