Ding
Ding Yiriwa federation, a local partner to child fund The Gambia over the week
held a sensitisation program of over 50 of its cluster members on disaster risk
management at Sanyang kombo South District.
The
sensitisation activity according to officials of the federation is part of its
program intervention areas of sensitizing enrolled families and as well
including local communities that are under its program intervention area on
several ways of disaster mitigation.
Buba
Dampha, Sponsorship and Program Coordinator of Ding Ding Wiriya Federation has
reminded the participants on the importance of disaster risk mitigation
awareness programs stating as a federation, which works in providing quality
education and health service delivery to enrolled children realizes the
significance of sensitisation forums that will provide families with basic
techniques of disaster risk mitigation for their safety.
“It
is important as a federation we provide our enrolled families with awareness
training platforms that will prevail them opportunities to learn basic skills
on disaster risk management. The trainings are part of our intervention
programs as an institution that works in protecting the livelihood of our
enrolled families,” he said.
Coordinator
of National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of West Coast Region Binta Sey
Jadama, sensitizing the participants said disasters are most of the time caused
by human activities which she mentioned are disastrous to the entire livelihood
of the affected individuals while urging participants to be sensitive towards disaster
risks spots for any possible avoidance.
She
advises the participants to be mindful of erosion spot areas in order to avoid
possible destruction of their properties during the rainy season, this he said
will help reduce disasters caused by the impact of rain erosion.
“Disasters
can always be avoided if proper management principles are followed and at the
same time carry out at our various homes. It’s our right as citizens to seek
advice from any physical department to assist us in identifying proper locations
of where to build our houses in order to avert possible rainfall erosion
disasters,” he said.
She
said National Disaster Management Agency has in the past years in partnership
with charitable organisations providing disaster trainings to communities’
vulnerable to natural various kinds of disasters.
Faburama
Ceesay Head of fire safety Unit of west coast region denounces public claims of
irresponsible actions on fire and rescue services of not timely responding to
disaster interventions areas whilst reiterating most of the time disasters are
more than required capacity of their water tank to resolve in time more
specially fire outbreak.
“Most
of the blames accused on us by the public is never our intention or wish. We
have to know that disasters are quite different in nature which can give us a
long fighting before it is resolved. It
is important that we are mindful of fire disasters which can be very difficult
to handle,” he said.
