Resilience Library

Radio Training | 20-23 March 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-03-22 - 2017-03-24
Radio Training - Lao Red Cross 2017
Day 1: Knowledge sharing from LNR trainer, Mr. Vansay Tavinyahn.

Radio Training - Lao Red Cross 2017
Day 2 : Practicing to be an annoucer and developing a radio content, Q&A with the trainer, and getting feedback from the other participants.

Radio Training - Lao Red Cross 2017
Day 3 : Learning how to record and edit the radio spot, and continue practicing on the radio spot development.

Radio Training - Lao Red Cross 2017
Coverage in Vientiane Times, page 5, 23 March 2017 issue.

Radio Training - Lao Red Cross 2017
Coverage in Lao Pattana, page 4, 23 March 2017 issue.

The radio training was held in Thalad, Lao PDR on 20-23 March 2017 by Lao Red Cross’ Communications and Fundraising Department (CFD) with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
This training was a follow-up from IFRC’s review and recommendations to strengthen the radio programme in August 2016. The CFD had identified the need to build the capacity in radio programming at the headquarters level through a radio training for CFD and technical department staff and radio volunteers and to enhance the collaboration between the CFD and technical departments to allow more effective sharing of information.
The training helped other departments understand the need to raise community voices through the radio programme and how they could contribute contents to the CFD. Following the training, the CFD consolidated activity updates from the technical departments to develop a radio programme plan.

Objectives of the training:

To enhance the capacity of Red Cross communication department in developing more interactive contents for the radio programme.
To enhance the collaboration between communication and technical staff at the headquarters level to diversify the contents of the radio programme.
To produce 10-12 radio spots by April 2017.

Following the training:

The CFD will able to develop a three-month content plan for the radio programme in collaboration with the technical departments.
The technical departments understand what information they need to provide to the radio programme staff to develop the content for the radio programme.
The CFD, with Lao National Radio support, will be able to produce 10-12 radio spots by the end of April 2017 on the key activity areas of LRC including blood donation, disaster management, healthcare, gender and diversity and youth and volunteer.

Supporting documents of the training:

Concept note
Agenda
Participant list
Radio role play exercise
Report of the training

Lao Red Cross Youth Empowerment Programme in Social Inclusion | 22-24 March 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-03-22 - 2017-03-24
Lao Red Cross youth empowerment programme Mar 2017

Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) Youths in Lao Red Cross Society successfully implemented the youth empowerment programme on the theme of social inclusion at the National University of Lao with the attendance of 200 students.
This activity inspired 200 youths to change their mindset and attitude about the discrimination, exclusion and stereotyped opinions against their marginalised friends. It became more significant to Lao Youth since this was the first time of the youth-designed activity and it was totally led by themselves from planning to implementation.
Twenty (20) core group youths, confident of their achievements, decided to carry on more activities with the same approach targeting communities and universities by their own planning and efforts starting from May 2017.
Read more:

Concept note
Agenda
Resource: Youth Empowerment in Community (YEC) Programme Guide Pilot version
Case studies of Youth Empowerment:

Youth partnership promoting non-violence – Viet Nam Red Cross Society – Da Nang Chapter
Youth volunteers supporting people with HIV/AIDS – Cambodia Red Cross Society – Siem Ream Branch

For more information about Youth and Volunteering, visit Youth and Volunteering page.

Training on Participatory Development of Multi-Disaster Risk Map using QGIS | 21-23 March 2017 | Viet Nam
2017-03-21 - 2017-03-25
This training is one of the key activities at the regional level under the Building Urban Resilience in South East Asia project supported by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO). The project supports Red Cross Movement partners in Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam and Philippines to increase the capacity of local government authorities and Red Cross for disaster preparedness and response through working together to improve community-based disaster risk reduction tools. Thus, as part of the project an innovative and user-friendly risk mapping method for urban Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has been developed.
Aim
To present this new risk-mapping method to Red Cross National Society staff and representatives from authorities who are actively involved in Disaster Risk Management and in disaster preparedness and response.
Objectives
After this 3-day training, the participants are able to:
• Explain:
o Basic concept of QGIS
o Benefits of using QGIS for participatory development of a multi-disaster risk map to support Disaster Risk Management
o Steps of information collection in the community (including usage of GPS in smart phone)
o Steps of using QGIS to develop and update the multi-disaster risk map
o Steps of using QGIS risk map for planning, post-disaster damage and need assessment, and raising awareness for community at urban and peri-urban areas
• Practise participatory development and update the multi-disaster risk map at urban and peri-urban areas using the QGIS software
• Develop an action plan for developing QGIS multi-disaster risk map after the training
Expected Outcomes
– Participants have increased knowledge and ability to put into practice the news participatory mapping method in order to develop local urban multi-disaster risks maps
– Participants have increased knowledge and ability to put into practice the key concepts of community participation and gender and disability inclusion in risk mapping
Participants
Viet Nam Red Cross Society staff and/or representatives from Disaster Management authorities who are actively involved in Disaster Risk Management or disaster preparedness and response and who are willing to pilot the new mapping method in urban context.
Outcomes
During the workshop, the project team members from Cambodia, Philippines, and Lao PDR discussed and worked in group to practise and draw maps through the software. The development process of these community maps was based on paper mapping and importing of the data from paper mapping into the QGIS program.
After the workshop completion, the project team and participants from VNRC and the government partners provided feedback and comment about the utilization and practice of QGIS software including the handout/manual which provided the step-by-step procedure.
Next Steps
At the end of the project, in October 2017, a second Regional event will take place. Lesson learned from the use of this participatory multi-disaster risks mapping method in support to DRM planning will be gathered and documented as inputs for the finalization of the method.

Workshop on Communication Strategy for Blood Donation of Lao National Blood Transfusion Centre | 13-17 March 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-03-13 - 2017-03-17
According to the commitment between Thai Red Cross Society and Lao Red Cross summarized from the bilateral coordinating meeting in Nong Khai Province in 2015, Thai Red Cross agreed in principle to help improving the capacities of Lao National Blood Transfusion Centre (NBTC) in increasing number of new blood donors to achieve the target set for the year 2020. Every year, 60,000 blood units are needed in Lao PDR but only 40,000 blood units are collected from voluntary blood donors.
Regarding to NBTC’s marketing and communications strategy, increasing the visibility of communication campaigns and improving the public awareness campaigns of NBTC are the key important processes in order to broadly reach out to the new targeted audiences and new blood donors and young generations and general populations in communities. The peer-to-peer technical support in developing the communication strategy on blood recruitment and blood donation and community and public awareness campaigns was held during 13-17 March 2017 with the support from German Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, Country Cluster Support Team (IFRC CCST) in Bangkok.
At the end of a workshop, a team from the National Blood Transfusion Center of Lao Red Cross (LRC) committed to move forward with the ideas, resources, guidance and suggestions from Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) in applying to fit with Laos’ local context. The posters, short films, TV spot, radio spot, IEC material produced by TRSC are very helpful and useful for LRC to modify and adapt to Laos’ local context. The strategic communication action plan 2017 onwards, a new logo of NBTC, four TV and Radio spots and some selected posters have been developed during the five-day workshop. The new key message of NBTC is “Give blood every 3-4 months makes you healthy.” The peer-to-peer technical support from TRSC is very useful for LRC as observed. German Red Cross very appreciated this peer-to-peer support and thanked TRC and IFRC for this peer-to-peer support that came from bilateral cooperation agreement.

National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) training for Thai Red Cross Society | 15-17 March 2017 | Bangkok, Thailand
2017-03-13 - 2017-03-17
ndrt-training-march2017-3

ndrt-training-march2017-2-jpg

ndrt-training-march2017

Background and Rationale
The Thai Red Cross Society (TRC) has 3 minimum standards to assist victims when disasters occur as follow:
1. The relief kit items will be distributed to the victims after 6 hours that a disaster has happened
2. TRC will set up the tent to assist the victims within 4 hours after a disaster strikes
3. The victims will receive food and beverage within 4 hours after a disaster strikes
In the past 2 years, TRC has been conducting the National Disaster Response Team (NDRT) which the participants were from Red Cross Chapters, Red Cross health stations and relevant networks. There were 149 TRC’s staffs from different regions of Thailand who have been trained and are ready to be deployed for disaster responses. TRC would like to expand the knowledge of disaster response to new-comer staff, in order to deploy them for disaster reliefs and responses both at the national and regional levels.
Key outcomes
• Participants gained the knowledge of disaster response and understood the TRCS’s disaster response mechanism
• Participants understood the assessment cycle and can identify the plan of action
• Participants understood the coordination and communication during disaster
Next steps
• The second and third NDRT training will be conducted in Q2 and Q3 of 2017. See the second training held in June 2017
• The next NDRT training will focus on the specialized training such as Disaster Assessment, Water and Sanitation, and Psychosocial Support
Powerpoint Presentations
Day 1
» Introduction to NDRT training
» IFRC’s disaster response team: Structure and tools
» การบริหารจัดการภัยพิบัติในประเทศไทย – Disaster Management in Thailand
» การเตรียมความพร้อมของสภากาชาดฯ ในสถานการณ์ที่สุ่มเสี่ยงและไม่ปลอดภัย – Preparation of Thai Red Cross Society for risky and dangerous situations
» ความมั่นคงปลอดภัยในการปฏิบัติงาน – Security in operations
» คำศัพท์ด้านภัยพิบัติ – Disasters terminologies
Day 2
» การประเมินความเสียหายและความต้องการ – Evaluation of damages and needs
» กลไกการรับมือกับภัยพิบัติของสภากาชาดไทย – Mechanism for dealing with disasters of Thai Red Cross Society
» มาตรฐาน Sphere กับการช่วยเหลือผู้ประสบภัย – Sphere standard and helping disaster-affected people
» คำถามเกณฑ์มาตรฐานขั้นต่ำในเรื่องต่างๆ ของประเด็นภัยพิบัติ – Questions on minimum standards on issues related to disasters
Day 3
» การจัดการศูนย์พักพิงชั่วคราว– Management of temporary shelters
» การสนับสนุนด้านจิตสังคมสำหรับผู้ประสบภัยพิบัติ – Psychosocial support for disaster-affected people
» การจัดการด้านการบรรเทาทุกข์ – Relief management
» น้ำ สุขาภิบาล และการส่งเสริมสุขอนามัย สำหรับผู้ประสบภัยพิบัติ – Water, sanitation and hygiene works for disaster-affected people
» การลงพื้นที่ปฏิบัติงานหน่วยผลิตน้ำดื่ม – Field works of the water production unit
» การบริการทางการแพทย์ในภาวะฉุกเฉิน – Medical services in emergencies
» ระบบโลจิสติกส์ในงานสาธารณภัย – Logistical system in disaster relief works
Day 4
» สื่อกับการจัดการภัยพิบัติ – Media and disaster management

Regional Consultations for Rights of Migrants in Action | 1-2 March 2017 | Bangkok, Thailand
2017-03-01 - 2017-03-02 | Novotel Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand
right-of-migrants-in-action-consultation-mar2017-bangkok-group-photo

right-of-migrants-in-action-consultation-mar2017-bangkok-ifrc

right-of-migrants-in-action-consultation-mar2017-bangkok-presentation

Objective of Regional Consultations
The purpose each Regional Consultation is to facilitate networking opportunities, strengthen collaboration and exchange between implementing partners, harness the collective experiences of partner civil society organizations (CSOs) and develop a set of recommendations linked to the implementation and objectives of the Rights of Migrants in Action project. More in details, programme managers from partner CSOs and National Society’s Focal Points will have the possibility to strengthen synergies, share and analyse key achievements and challenges, exchange good practices.
Furthermore, discussions related to existing and missing regional policies with regard to targeted populations will help identify regional recommendations for development of Rights of Migrants in Action’s global policy papers on human rights of migrants, human trafficking and domestic labour migration.
This meeting constitutes a series of five Regional Conferences which will take place in the Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and Middle East and North Africa regions. For Asia the Regional Consultation will happen on 1-2 March 2017.
Participants
In addition to National Society focal points and programme managers from partner CSOs within each region, the meeting will gather Central Programme Unit members and IFRC regional representatives, as well as external partners and stakeholders, including representatives from the European Union, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Organization for Migration, United Nation agencies, and civil society actors working on the field of migration. There will be approximately 30 participants.
Methodology
Through a highly participatory approach, participants will be actively involved throughout the meeting and will be requested to share practises through presentations and exercises to ensure that insight on different perspectives and experiences is gauged. Background documents and templates for presentation will be shared in advance.
Day 1
The meeting will focus on leveraging the knowledge and experience of partner CSOs, National Society Focal points and IFRC representatives. It will open with some introductory remarks from representatives from hosting National Society and IFRC Regional office to set the scene and present the objectives and outcomes of the event.
The Rights of Migrants in Action’s Central Programme Unit will provide an overview presentation on key achievements, challenges, best practices, recommendations and projected plans from a global perspective. It will be followed by a panel per country composed by the National Society Focal Point and CSOs representatives: a discussion will be established around the aforementioned points and will be moderated by the NS’s focal point.
A template for the presentation will be provided to each CSO ahead of the meeting, this document will be distributed among participants. This will be followed by a Q&A session. Participants will be given the floor to share comment and concise reactions, building on leading strategic questions provided in advance.
Expectations for Day 1
1. Participants are expected to share information about achievements, challenges and best practices experienced during project implementation
2. National Society and partner CSOs in the region will meet and explore opportunities for networking, peer-to-peer learning, exchange of knowledge and expertise.
Powerpoint Presentations for Day 1
» Agenda for Day 1
» Right of Migrants in Action Project Overview
» Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nepal
» Gemapalu Indonesia
» Layak Indonesia
» OTMI Indonesia
» SBMI Equator Indonesia
» Foundation for Education and Development (FED) Thailand
» Foundation for Labour and Employment Promotion (FLEP)/Homenet Thailand
» Mobile Application by Foundation of Labour and Employment Promotion (FLEP)
» Migrant Assistance Programme (MAP) Foundation Thailand
» The Life Skills Development Foundation (TLSDF) Thailand

Day 2
Part 1: Three key note speakers will introduce and analyse the policy regional dimension of human rights of migrants, human trafficking and domestic labour migration. Key note speakers will be identified among members of academia, UN, IOM, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, etc.
Part 2: Three working stations (human rights of migrants, human trafficking and domestic labour migration) will be formed. Each working station will have a whiteboard. Participants will circulate among the workstations providing their feedbacks on the main gaps at the regional level and their recommendations for each topic. This setting will give the possibility to participants to take part in all aspects of the discussion.
Identified facilitators/rapporteurs for each working station will summarize and present the key elements from the discussions on the final plenary session.
Part 3: Final plenary – taking stock of the day, assembling results and policy recommendations and agreeing on the way forward.
Expectations for Day 2
1. Gaps related to existing and missing regional policies with regard to targeted populations will be discussed and summarized.
2. Recommendations on human rights of migrants, human trafficking and domestic labour migration are collected at the regional level and will constitute the basis for the development of global position papers.
Powerpoint Presentations for Day 2
» Agenda for Day 2
» Right of Migrants in Action (RoMiA) Project Overview by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
» Migration: The role of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
» Keynote Speech by International Labour Organization (ILO)
» Keynote Speech by Migrant Forum Asia
See also: A web story: Giving migrant workers a platform to voice their rights

E-WASH Training Sessions | 27 February-3 March 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-02-27 - 2017-03-03
e-WASH Training Feb 2017 in Lao PDR

e-WASH Training Feb 2017 in Lao PDR photo2

First training is Training of Trainers on Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (e-WASH) response and preparedness for Red Cross WASH focal staff
Second training is Training on Emergency WASH response and preparedness for Red Cross Volunteers

These two training sessions were the first start/first phase of Emergency WASH activities conducted by the Health Promotion Department of Lao Red Cross Society. The two trainings focused on key practical sessions. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion were highlighted to all participants.
The results of the pre/post-tests of True&False Quiz showed that the participants (Training of Trainers e-WASH focal persons)’s knowledge significantly improved from 70% to 95%. The results pre/post-tests of True&False Quiz showed that the participants (RC volunteers)’s knowledge significantly improved from 55% to 67%. In conclusion, the expectations of the participants were met and satisfied.
The Lao Red Cross staff and volunteers contributed greatly and put a lot of efforts to the success of these two training sessions. The participants were working so hard until late to dig the pit/deep hole of 1.5 metres for two latrines with constructed roof top and wall and the water drainage area/water system for the selected primary school. The community participation and engagement by the community leaders and school principal was the key achievement of these two training in Khammuane Province.
The WASH Coordinator from IFRC in Cambodia mentioned that additional two more AP 700 Manpacks will be provided to Laos this year and they are planning to develop the WASH training projects for Laos again this year in one to two provinces depending on the budget availability and the donor decision. The head of Health Promotion Department of Lao Red Cross Society will follow up with the provincial-level entity about the use of AP 700 and latrines constructed in the local primary school. He will also send to IFRC in Bangkok the activity report and financial report within March 2017.

Flood Resilience Innovation Conference | 23-24 February 2017 | Jakarta, Indonesia
2017-02-23 - 2017-02-24 | Jakarta, Indonesia
The two-day conference is organized by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and IFRC in Jakarta to showcase and pitch innovative ideas related to flood resilience. The project supported selected National Society representatives to attend as a peer-to-peer learning experience.
See also:

A web story: Innovators take to the stage with ideas for building community resilience towards flooding and other disasters
Flood Resilience Innovation Conference (FRIC) Indonesia website
Concept note of the event

National Workshop on KAP Survey Result Sharing | 21 Feb 2017 | Vientiane, Lao PDR
2017-02-21
This Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Baseline Survey Result Sharing workshop had an opening remark by Dr. Kaviphone, Head of Disaster Management Department of Lao Red Cross, followed by the explanation of the workshop’s objectives by IFRC Building Urban Resilience Project Manager. Then there was a session of sharing experiences of Child-led data collection process on KAP Survey by LRC and children representatives, followed by the presentation on the results of KAP baseline survey in Vientiane. After that that was a session of feedback on key preliminary results and sharing project implementation plan for year 2017 by LRC and IFRC. The workshop ended with the way forward and wrap-up. during the workshop 10 youth representatives joined and shared their lesson learned and experiences on data collection.

The KAP survey has been conducted using Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Survey of the Building Urban Resilience (BUR) Project. The aim of the survey is to determine baseline data to develop project activities and also is used to be comparative with the endline survey at the end of the project to measure an improvement of the knowledge/awareness and behavior of people in the communities.

The specific objectives on better understanding of the community knowledge/awareness are:
– The target people have the basic knowledge/awareness and are prepared for reducing the risks of disasters (flood, storm and fire)
– To assess basic knowledge in information on road safety
– To identify the difference knowledge between men and women to define an appropriate activity and to have participation of both gender

See also:
A web story: Promoting school youth in Building Urban Resilience programme – Lao youth join KAP Baseline Survey activity

About BUR project:
The 18-month Building Urban Resilience (BUR) in Southeast Asia project, funded by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), supports Red Cross Movement partners in four countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam and the Philippines, to build capacities of National Society staff, government officials, school teachers and school children, Red Cross youth and volunteers, and partners, through a coherent, regional strategy building on good practice and using innovative methods. The action emphasizes gender equity and social inclusion, among poor, vulnerable people, including people with disabilities and older people. This project was established by the Lao Red Cross, and has been implemented in 5 districts of Vientiane capital with expectation of reaching 38,000 people including government officials, teachers, small sellers and labourers.

Expected Outcome: Safer behaviour, improved preparedness, and social change in urban areas through innovative and tailored public awareness and public education (PAPE) for disaster risk reduction
Read more about Building Urban Resilience

2nd ASEAN Safe School Conference | 14-15 February 2017 | Bangkok
2017-02-14 - 2017-02-15
On 14 and 15 February 2017, key government officials from the Ministries of Education and National Disaster Management Offices of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States and other active stakeholders came together at the 2nd ASEAN Regional Conference on School Safety in Bangkok. The Conference was co-organized by ASEAN, ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative (ASSI) Consortium and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Key government officials from ASEAN Member States made statement to reaffirm their commitment to school safety initiative.
The meeting has reaffirmed the ASEAN governments’ commitment to prioritise school safety through the implementation of relevant regional and global frameworks in Disaster Risk Reduction as well as to strengthen the collaboration among the working groups to continue in advancing Safe Schools in the region.
“As we enter the 3rd phase of ASSI implementation, it is timely that we mark it with a regional event such as this Conference, to provide a venue for all school safety stakeholders in ASEAN for knowledge exchanges and sharing of lessons learned on comprehensive school safety programming,” said Mr.Kobchai Boonyaorana, Thai Director Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Policy Bureau.
Several key issues have been addressed to highlight the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction in the education sector such as the regional approach to comprehensive school safety and education in emergencies, safe school network movement as well as the resources and tools to enabling the riskless environment. The regional implementation progress, including the achievements and the strategies were also widely discussed.
As part of the founding member of Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety (APCSS), the IFRC has been involved in key steps of the ASSI in the past years. In this Conference, IFRC facilitated the thematic session on “Enhancing the ASEAN Youth engagement in school safety initiatives” engaging representatives from ASEAN National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, schools, youth, UN agencies and other partners.
Lessons learned and experience were shared among the participants. The new IFRC tool, Youth engagement toolkit in School Safety, was introduced in the thematic session and the potential opportunities and key recommendations were proposed back to the plenary meeting.
Lai Wai Keat, a youth volunteer from Malaysian Red Crescent and a member of South East Asia Youth Network (SEAYN) presented the key recommendation on youth engagement.
“I would like to say this Conference is very inspiring, because for me, I managed to see what others have been doing in this field,” said Mr. Lai Wai Keat, a youth volunteer from Malaysian Red Crescent Society. “After this Conference, I will fly back to Malaysia to find more volunteers to join in, and we can start doing something from there with the Malaysian Red Crescent,” he added.
South East Asia is one of the regions with high incidence of natural hazards such as earthquake, floods, typhoons and fire. More than 100 million children are at risk living or studying in these disaster-prone areas.[1] They are also among the most vulnerable groups when disaster strikes due to limited resources and capacity[2]. Empowering the children and young people to identify the risks they face at home, at school and in their community as well as enable them to become more resilient to disasters, is therefore crucial to achieve ASEAN goal on Disaster Management.
“Building safe and resilient schools is a corner stone of building resilient communities,”
emphasized Mr. Marwan Jilani, the Head of the IFRC Bangkok Country Cluster Support Team in his closing statement.
The organization made two commitments at this conference; by first, to strengthen and broaden the engagement the youth and volunteers and scale up our school safety activities to more schools and more children at risk, and second to institutionalize the partnership around ASSI Consortium as an inclusive and long-term program approach.
“We look forward to taking this important initiative to new levels and to reach together to more schools and more children,” he concluded.
[1] ASEAN and Civil Society Launch Safe Schools Initiative
[2] Social Vulnerability to Disasters

Outcome Document
» Summary Report
Supporting Documents
» Agenda
» Thematic Session detail
» IFRC’s statement at 2nd ASEAN Conference on School Safety
Powerpoint Presentations
» Youth engagement in School Safety
» Youth in School Safety Facilitators’ Toolkit
» Red Cross youth
» UNESCO

Peer-to-Peer Exchange Visit of Lao Red Cross to Nepal Red Cross Society on Radio Programming and Community Engagement | 13-17 February 2017 | Kathmandu, Nepal
2017-02-13 - 2017-02-17
Lao Red Cross, with support from IFRC, visited Nepal and met with Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), Association of Community Radios Nepal (APORAB) and BBC Media Action on 13-17 February 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal to do the radio peer-to-peer exchange with NRCS for the Lao Red Cross’ Communications and Fundraising Department (CFD).
Outcomes
On day 1 they had a meeting about the overview of NRCS’ CFD and community engagement and accountibility (CEA) initiatives – NRCS presented about Hotline 1130, the newspapers’ Q&A columns, Facebook communication, NRCS’ radio programme and street dramas by NRCS.

Volunteers from 14 of the worst quake-affected districts in Nepal were trained how to to carry out interviews with community members. Photo Credit: Lao Red Cross Society

On day 2 they had a field travel to Kavre to have a meeting with Kavre chapter to gain understanding of the community engagement aspects of Kavre chapter which included Kavre chapter shared CEA in earthquake operations, Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMC) were formed to gather feedbacks and they are shared with RC monthly, local radio stations were selected based on coverage, radio volunteers for RC were identified, and RC radio volunteers are informed about the activities and are free to choose contents to cover. Then they had a field visit to the community where Kavre chapter was carrying out second installation of cash for livelihoods recovery, to observe the radio volunteers carrying out interviews with community members.
On day 3 they had a meeting with BBC Media Action’s earthquake recovery production team and Country Director – They shared the production process and success stories of their community radio programme following the earthquake and discussed their partnership and collaboration/coordination with the humanitarian partners. Then there was a meeting with ACORAB, which is an umbrella of 300 community radios in Nepal, to discuss ACORAB’s community engagement initiatives (broadcasted in over 70 languages, engaging children as reporters, radio dramas, lifeline programme, using community voice as evidence-based advocacy, etc.). They also had discussions with LRC about the progress of their radio programme, social media progress, radio training, social media training, production of 10-12 radio spots, completion of on-the-job training for two CFD’s radio staff, peer-to-peer with NRCS, International Women’s Day, May 8’s concept note and 2017 activities.

Meeting amoung Lao Red Cross, Nepal Red Cross Society and BBC Media Action.

Follow-Up Actions
For Lao Red Cross, the concept note and budget for the radio training and social media training will be shared. And following the P2P with NRCS, the LRC has come up with the next concrete steps which are to propose a professional radio speaker from LNR while the two CFD staff of the radio will continue to received trainings from LNR, to reach out to other departments, provinces and external agencies to gather voices from the community, to share monthly updates with the IFRC’s communications staff to keep track of the progress and share important feedback, to set up a studio at the headquater for which CFD will follow up and include in 2017 plan, to develop an annual plan and share it with IFRC, and following the radio training at HQ level, to organize a training for 4-5 priority provinces (2017 plan).
For IFRC, the IFRC’s communications staff will support LRC in the upcoming radio training, and regarding social media training, they will identify a communications team member to support LRC in the training.
See the related story: Giving quake-affected communities a voice through radio

Consultancy to Strengthen Monitoring and Evaluation of the Regional Resilience Initiative (RRI) Workshop | 7-9 February 2017 | Bangkok, Thailand
2017-02-07 - 2017-02-09
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) cartoon ©17 ifrc boat teamwork
The consultancy aimed to review the consultancy findings and recommendations and develop an action plan for monitoring and evaluation enhancement of Regional Resilience Initiative.
Objectives
● To present findings and recommendations of the consultancy for discussion
● To explore possible monitoring and evaluation enhancements for 2017
● To provide space to discuss RRI beyond 2017
Results
By the end of the meeting, we identified the:
● Proposed edits needed for the recommendations of the consultancy
● M&E quick wins that are implementable for the final year of RRI
● Initial thinking about RRI beyond 2017
The consultancy also produced a series of 4 case studies to highlight the contribution of IFRC’s Regional Resilience Initiative:

Case Study: Mainstreaming Gender and Diversity in Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives
Case Study: Supporting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to build community resilience in Member States
Case Study: Supporting National Societies to Contribute to Disaster Law Development
Case Study: Regional Resilience Knowledge Hub

Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (e-WASH) Trainings | 5-12 February 2017 | Cambodia
2017-02-05 - 2017-02-12
Three Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialised trainings were conducted on 5-12 February 2017 in Prey Veng province, Cambodia with an aim to enhance the capacity of the National Society for emergency WASH response in future. There were a total of 88 participants including staff and volunteers from the National Headquater and the chapters in three provinces (Svay Rieng, Bantey Mean Chey and Prey Veng) and also three staff from the Swiss Red Cross and provincial staff such as fire brigade personnel.
Two trainings on the use of emergency hygiene promotion (HP) box were also conducted, participated by 18 Red Cross volunteers and staff from NHQ and Prey Veng province. The participants were trained on proper usage of the items in the HP box during emergencies. These HP boxes are now pre-positioned at the provincial level and NHQ, together with the two units of Man Packs procured under the pledge.

National Dissemination Workshop on Disaster Management Law | 2 February 2017 | Cambodia
2017-02-02
In cooperation with the National Committee on Disaster Management and other key Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) stakeholders, this national dissemination workshop on disaster management law was held on 2nd February 2017 at Cambodian Red Cross Headquarter chaired by Ms. Pum Chantinie, Cambodian Red Cross Secretary General and facilitated by H.E Ma Norith, Deputy Secretary General of National committee of Disaster Management, with 65 participants from 25 provinces.
The purpose of the dissemination is to strengthen public awareness on the new disaster management law and to foster a greater understanding and cooperation in the implementation of the law and its relevant components in order to join in disaster risk reduction, preparedness, recovery and awareness of climate change. It will be followed by 3 provincial-level dissemination workshops in February and March gathering representatives from all provinces of the country.

Outcome Document
» Workshop Summary Report
Supporting Documents
» Concept note
» Pamphlet – Cambodia Disaster Management Framework
» Pamphlet – Know your Rights, Roles and Responsibility in Disaster Management
» Powerpoint Presentation – Cambodia National Dissemination Workshop on Disaster Management Law
» Walk-Through Scenario – Flooding in 8 Provinces in Mekong Region
See also: the subsequent sub-national dissemination workshops held in July and August 2017

South East Asia Youth Network Online Meeting | 25 January 2017
2017-01-25
The 16th South East Asia Youth Network (SEAYN) online meeting was held on 25 January 2017 with the opening of the Chair (from Philippines) and 13 members from 11 National Societies. They launched the School Safety Mapping Initiative following the outcome of the 4th SEAYN Annual Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in September 2016. They also presented about individual National Society youth events from January to April after SEAYN updates by the Chair and Deputy Chair.
The summary of ASEAN Youth Development Index (YDI) meeting was presented by the Chair and SEAYN online meeting calendar and newsletter submission dates for 2017 were proposed by the Deputy chair. Singapore Red Cross Society also presented their Youth as Agents of Behavioral Change (YABC) launch and peer-to-peer support approach for information sharing and IFRC support.
See the meeting agenda. Read more on Youth and Volunteering.

Launch of School Safety Mapping Initiative by South East Asia Youth Network | 25 January 2017 | Online
2017-01-25
Southeast Asia Youth Network (SEAYN) launched the School Safety Mapping Exercise for Southeast Asia National Societies (NSs) on 25 January 2017 through online meeting, following the outcome of the forth SEAYN Annual Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia in September 2016.
The mapping of the school safety programmes and activities within the ASEAN region is one of the ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative (ASSI), under the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). It was endorsed by ASEAN Member States in the ASEAN Committee for Disaster Management (ACDM) meeting in 2016. Therefore, mapping of the NSs’ school safety programmes and activities will provide an evidence-based visibility to the role of the NSs and will strengthen their advocacy works.
The outcome of the mapping exercise will be an executive summary report (5-10 pages in English or national languages) presenting the key information of each NS as follow:

Number of schools reached, and their geographic locations and types of intervention
Number of children (girls and boys) reached
The NS approach to school safety (including framework, policies, guidelines and tools)
The NS partnership with government (national and local) and other organizations
Impact Stories from headmasters, teachers, children, volunteers about Red Cross Societies’ school safety actions
Quotes from NS’ leaders and opinion-makers about the value of developing safer environment in schools

Southeast Asia Youth Network (SEAYN) members will conduct 1-2 hour semi-structured interviews with various departments and focal points working with schools, including disaster management, health, water and sanitation, first aid, social welfare, organizational development and human resource departments. The results will be presented to the 2nd ASEAN School Safety Conference which will be held in Bangkok on 14-15 February 2017, as well as to the Southeast Asia Community Safety and Resilience Forum (CSRF) to be convened on 18-20 April 2017 in Malaysia.

Supporting Documents

Concept note for school safety mapping
Guidance note for school safety mapping
Questionnaire for school safety

Roundtable Discussion on Climate Change Adaptation with Inclusion | 24 January 2017 | Bangkok, Thailand
2017-01-24
Plan International Asia Regional office hosted the roundtable discussion on the topic of “Climate Change Adaptation with Inclusion”. It is an informal group meeting of international organisations such as the UN and NGOs working in Bangkok.
Objectives
1) To exchange updates: Each organization’ climate change adaptation, action or advocacy efforts (any updates on programmes, projects, advocacy campaigns, as well as tools and approaches to share)
2) To discuss the key gaps in reaching the most vulnerable groups
3) To Identify any potential areas where all organisations can work together, e.g., Influencing the agenda for post-COP 22 implementation through a policy brief; Working together to push the inclusion of specific target groups in climate finance.
IFRC with the representatives of Youth and Volunteering Officer and Health Officer shared their own efforts and actions on the theme of climate change adaptation by sharing best practices of youth and children, women and elderly. All organisations decided to have regular roundtable meetings for all organisations to have joint advocacy works and share tools and approaches in an effective manner.

National Orientation Workshop on KAP Baseline Survey | 14 January 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-01-14
The workshop on National Orientation Workshop on Knowledge and Attitude Practices (KAP) Baseline Survey was held on 14 January 2017 in Vientiane for 85 students from 5 schools in Vientiane. It aimed to provide common understanding on hazards and disasters in local context and understanding on the questionnaires and simulation exercise.

The survey objective is to determine baseline data to develop project activities and also use it to be comparative with the endline survey at the end of project to measure improvement of the knowledge/aware and behaviour of people in the communities.

See the overall Building Urban Resilience in Southeast Asia project.

Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) Workshop | 13-17 January 2017 | Lao PDR
2017-01-13 - 2017-01-17
The Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) Orientation Workshop was conducted in Vientiane, Lao PDR by ECHO Project Manager – Building Urban Resilience in Southeast Asia project, together with Lao Red Cross’ key people for students and teachers in five schools. This was also the opportunity to meet with the Head of Communications Unit and Disaster Management team.
The main purpose of this meeting was to conduct the orientation workshop on KAP Baseline Survey for the students and to discuss among the different sectors in Lao Red Cross in order to develop the key messages for the Communications Strategy on Public Awareness and Public Education (PAPE). The key discussion topics were as followed:
Preparation Meeting with KAP Consultant and the project team

Discussion on the KAP methodology design, sample size, contents of the questionaire, data processing method, etc.
The use of the quantitative tool of the KAP survey for collecting data in the five targeted communities where there is the high school that the LRC is implementing the project.
This survey is used to interview at the household level because the household is the primary institution consisting of members of families who talk and share with each other the most in daily life.

Orientation Workshop on KAP Baseline Survey
The objective of this workshop was to provide the common understanding on hazards and disasters in the local context and the understanding on the questionnaires and simulation exercise, for 85 students from five schools in Vientiane Capital City.
The Morning Session was on “Knowing the Local Hazards and Disasters in Laos”. The purpose of this session was to provide understanding on the hazards and disasters in Laos’ context in order to collect the data for KAP Survey. Based on PAPE tools, the main facilitator for this session led the session by using the Role Play. The students were into five groups and assigned the hazard topics for each group (Fire, Flood, Earthquake, Land slide and Storm). Each group developed the key messages based on their understanding about the impacts of the hazards in their schools and communities including how to use the community engagement approach in their role play. After the presentations, the facilitator asked the representatives from each group to feedback each other, then invited the teachers and Lao Red Cross (LRC) team to provide feedback also. In conclusion, all students understood about the hazards in their local context.
The Afternoon Session was on “Understanding and Practising on KAP Survey Questionnaires”. The purpose of this session was to provide understanding on KAP Survey’s questionnaires and practice and how to collect the data in the communities. The consultant was the main facilitator for this session, while the project manager and LRC team were the co-facilitators in the simulation exercise. The session started with the introduction on KAP survey methodology and then divided the students into five groups in order to read out loud and understand all parts of the questions. Then, the simulation exercise started by matching them in pairs and practiced how to ask the questions and how to record the answers. Finally, they could give feedback to each other and the teachers also provided the comments.
For more information, see Building Urban Resilience Project.

Epidemic Control for Volunteers (ECV) Training for Community Volunteers in the Highest Malaria and Dengue Prevalence District | 19-21 December 2016 | Lao PDR
2016-12-29 08:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk)
The training on Epidemic Control for Volunteers for village health volunteers, head of villages, and community school teachers was planned and organized during 19-21 December 2016 in Muang Prathumphone, Champasak Province, the southern part of Lao PDR and Lao-Thailand border crossing area (Pakse, Champasak and Chong Mekm Ubol Ratchathani province).
Dr. Bounma Xayasouk, Director of Department of Health Promotion, Lao Red Cross reported that the epidemics in the southern provinces have been happening since late 2011 in Attapeu, Champasak, Saravan, Sekong and Savannakhet. In 2013 and 2014, Lao Red Cross implemented the malaria prevention project in 20 villages in 3 districts of 2 provinces (Champasak and Sekong). Previously, in 2013, the Epidemic Control for Volunteers (ECV) training course has been organized by Lao Red Cross for healthcare staff from the headquarter and other 15 provinces. The training documents were translated into Lao language for the said training. After that, the training could not be extended to other staff at district level due lack of financial support and staff turnover rate.
The Ministry of Public Health estimated that without immediate interventions and effective actions for health promotion and control, Lao PDR could have 61,000-120,000 dengue cases in every year. Meanwhile, in 2013, dengue cases were reported in Champasak Province. From about 5,404 cases, the populations in 7 cases were found dead. As of November 2015, 1,313 dengue fever cases were diagnosed in this epidemic area.
This year in 2016 Lao Red Cross considered to urgently provide health interventions and reach the local communities and vulnerable populations in these affected and high epidemic areas with effective communication and health-education strategies. The tools of ECV have been implemented and useful for the community volunteers in the previous years.
There were 31 village health volunteers, head of villages, and community school teachers invited to participate in this ECV training (Male 21, Female 10 ). The four sessions of epidemic response cycle, principle of epidemiology, community tools, action tools, and disease tools with ECV manual in Lao language were employed. The group work discussions, “Zap that mosquito” game and home-visit health-education role plays and health education practices using the community tool focusing on four diseases – Dengue & Zika, Malaria, Diarrhea, and Respiratory infections were highlighted and demonstrated to all participants, and community mappings and epidemics seasonal calendar were trained. The results of the pre/post-test of True /False/Not Sure quiz showed that the participants’ knowledge were significantly improved from 66% to 98% respectively. The expectations of the participants were met and satisfied.
At the end of the training, Mr. May Sisouvong, Head of Nakham village said, “This training is very useful and easy to follow up by a group of community volunteers, especially the head of the villages and village health volunteers by using it during the diseases epidemics. I understood more about the epidemics’ cycle and he committed to bring all the new knowledge and new health interventions learned from the facilitators back to my village and community by communicating and educating via a loud speaker to our local villagers in order to improve their behavior to prevent and control malaria and dengue in the village.”
Mr. Thongphoun Phothivong, Teacher, Nakham Village School, said, “I really like the facilitation methods and training materials. The training package of ECV manual will be very useful to apply for school curriculums, especially for the subject of health education and environmental study and society. This will benefit our students in the school as they will get to know the information about the diseases, transmission and prevention and control. Hand cleaning steps and information about mosquito-breeding sites to avoid mosquito bites using nets are very useful for the students and local communities to do it to prevent them from malaria and dengue and Zika diseases.”
Miss. Sengphachanh Zaizanapanhya, Teacher, Oudomphanh Village School mentioned, “This is good timing for ECV training and we are waiting for this kind of training and workshop. I have never been involved in a training like this, this is my first time and I like it. I have learned a lots during the past three days. I will take all the new skills and updated knowledge back home and talk to our students and villages. I will help our community to prevent and stop malaria and dengue forthe poor people in the communities.”
Last but not least, Dr Bounma Xayasouk highlighted, “Next year we are proposing and requesting the support from IFRC about the CBHFA Mosquito-Borne Diseases and Vector Control in helping the vulnerable populations in affected areas, particularly in Champasak Province. This initiative scale-up will be useful for the villagers and communities in preparing for community health preparedness and response to the epidemics and the outbreaks beforehand. We really appreciate the great support and contribution from IFRC which continues the assistance to their people as always. If the resources will be available for the next fiscal year 2017, we will scale up the ECV again to cover more affected local communities.”
Copies of the Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya Toolkit can be downloaded from here:

ZDC Toolkit – Community Module
ZDC Toolkit – School / Youth Module
ZDC Prevention Toolkit

Youth Empowerment Programme | 17-19 December 2016 | Ho Chi Min City Chapter, Viet Nam RC
2016-12-17 - 2016-12-19
Ho Chi Minh chapter, Viet Nam Red Cross, inspired by Da Nang chapter, has initiated Youth Empowerment programme from 17-19 December. Their main theme of the activity was gender equality in community. Youth and Volunteering Officer from IFRC supported this activity by coaching and guiding 20 students (12 females, 8 males) from Quang Trung College. Those 20 youths made awareness raising activity by the creation of a drama targeting 100 community people including college students.

Key Outcomes of the Activity

Awareness raising for 100 people in HCM about gender equality.
20 youths were motivated to conduct this activity further in their college. As a side technical discussion, Youth Director of VNRC requested an expansion of this programme into other provinces with different topics of social inclusion.

Singapore Red Cross Youth Red Wave Rising - Pledge to Build Community Resilience | 17 December 2016 | Singapore
2016-12-17
On 17 December 2016, to commemorate its 65th anniversary, the Singapore Red Cross Youth pledged to boost community resilience in Singapore by championing blood donation, helping the disadvantaged, and educating their community on emergency and disaster preparedness, through a series of activities over the next year.
Inspired by SG Secure and themed “Red Wave Rising”, the pledge was launched by Mr. Baey Yam Keng, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community at the Tampines Hub.
Mr. Baey said, “In light of security attacks across the world, the need for Singapore to be vigilant and prepared has never been more urgent. It is crucial that all of us do our part to build emergency preparedness in our community. I hope the Red Cross Youth will serve as catalysts in engaging citizens to contribute to community resilience by donating blood, practicing first-aid, and looking out for one another.”
The 10,000-strong Red Cross Youth movement aged 9 to 35 kicked off their 65th anniversary celebrations with a commitment to rally the community to donate 6,500 units of blood over the next year.
Highlighting the significance of the blood donation pledge, Mr Sahari Ani, Director of the Singapore Red Cross Youth, said, “A robust blood supply is critical to saving lives during everyday emergencies, and more so in times of crisis. With the ageing population in Singapore, our aim is to increase the percentage of youth blood donors from the current 28 percent to 35 percent, in order to have a sustainable blood supply. As passionate youth leaders, the Red Cross Youth are in a good position to encourage and inspire their peers and fellow citizens to become blood donors.”
Wasting no time in taking action, the 250 Red Cross Youth present at the outreach distributed blood donation pledge cards to Tampines residents, and engaged some 74 retail merchants and hawkers in Tampines to display a blood donation sticker in support of the lifesaving cause.
In line with their commitment to prepare the community for emergencies, the Red Cross Youth also distributed 100 Food Aid packs to needy households in Tampines, gave out SG Secure information packs and held first-aid demonstrations, to equip residents with knowledge and supplies for emergencies.
Noting that the efforts of the Singapore Red Cross Youth align with global and national initiatives for resilience, Mr Sahari said, “In the last 65 years, the Red Cross Youth have significantly expanded the scope of their service, from a CCA in school to a platform for humanitarian leadership in the community. It is timely for the Red Cross Youth to play an active part in driving SG Secure’s call to strengthen our defense against crisis.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), of which the Singapore Red Cross is a member, has also adopted the vision of One Billion Coalition for Resilience. It is a transformative initiative to scale up community and civic action to strengthen resilience. By 2025, the global Red Cross Movement hopes that at least one billion people around the world will take steps towards strengthening resilience.”
As part of their 65th anniversary celebrations, the Red Cross Youth will also be launching the sale of four limited edition teddy bears, to raise funds for local community services run by the Singapore Red Cross. Public can call 6664 0500 or email admin.rcy@redcross.sg to purchase the bears.

Community-Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA): Mosquito Borne Diseases and Vector Control and Epidemic Control for Volunteers | 14-16 December 2016 | Lao PDR
2016-12-14 - 2016-12-16
The Ministry of Public Health reported in 2015 that there was high coverage of malaria and dengue fever outbreak in Lao PDR, in particular in the southern provinces of Lao PDR, among these, Champasak Province had the highest situation. In order to prevent the incidence of these diseases outbreak, Lao Red Cross has organized a training to build capacity for Lao Red Cross staff at district and provincial levels in epidemic control for them to transfer these knowledge and skills to communities in the areas under their responsibility.
This is the first roll out of CBHFA Mosquito-Borne Diseases and Vector Control and Epidemic Control for Volunteers in Lao PDR to provide and increase the capacity building of Red Cross health personnel working in four provinces located in the deep south of Lao PDR i.e. Sekong, Saravane, Attapeu and Champasak provinces. These four provinces are the risk-prone areas of dengue and malaria epidemics.
In the four key topics of ECV there were group-work discussion, “Zap that mosquito” game and role plays, health-education practices and community mappings using a community tool focusing on three diseases – Dengue and Zika, Diarrhea and Polio, which were highlighted and demonstrated to the participants. The results of True/False/Not Sure pre-test and post-test showed that the participants’ knowledge was significantly improved from 73% to 96% respectively.
There were 15 health personnel from the health divisions of four Red Cross provincial branches actively participating in this first roll-out training course. There were ten female and five male representatives from the four provinces. The theory and practical sessions were employed with ECV manual, epidemic’s response cycle, principle of epidemiology, community tools, action tools, and disease tools, in Lao language.
For the next step, Lao Red Cross is planning to organize the ECV training for community volunteers in Muang Pathoumphone District, Champasak Province, during 19-21 December 2016. There will be 20 community volunteers and 10 teachers participating in the ECV training in the district level. This initiative scale-up will be useful for the villagers and communities in preparing for community health preparedness and response to the epidemics and the outbreaks beforehand.
Especially, the community volunteers will be familiarized and conceptualized themselves with the ECV manual and disease tools, action tools, and community tools before the epidemics occur in their communities.
Copies of the Denue, Zika, and Chikungunya Toolkit can be downloaded from here:

ZDC Toolkit – Community Module
ZDC Toolkit – School / Youth Module
ZDC Prevention Toolkit

Dissemination Workshop and Training on Gender & Diversity | 13-15 December 2016 | Cambodia
2016-12-13 08:00 - 2016-12-15 17:00
With technical and funding supports from IFRC, the Cambodian Red Cross organizes 3-day Dissemination Workshop and Training on Gender and Diversity to all 25 Red Cross Branch Directors, staff and programme managers in total of 47 persons on 13-15 December 2016 in Cambodia.
Objectives of the training:

To promote gender and diversity policy among Red Cross staff, volunteers and youth in CRC /NHQ and 25 Red Cross Branches.
To improve the knowledge and capacity of CRC NHQ/ Branch staff in their work to reduce Gender and Diversity inequality.
To promote the gender and diversity work, engage with other actors as well as establish linkages with other networks.
To disseminate gender and diversity policy to all branch Directors, staff and programme managers.

The event was co-facilitated by Cambodian Red Cross and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
The agenda and powerpoint presentations will be uploaded shortly.
See the report.

Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) Peer Educators Training | 12-16 December 2016 | Lao PDR
2016-12-12 - 2016-12-16
The Youth as Agents of Behavioural Change (YABC) Peer Educators training in Laos was held by facilitation of Youth and Volunteering Officer from IFRC together with two Thai Red Cross facilitators (one staff and one volunteer) on 12-16 December 2016 targeting 20 participants from the Ministry of Education, Red Cross HQ (DM, Health and Youth), Red Cross Youth Clubs from the high school and university, Youth Union and one staff from Thai Red Cross Youth Bureau. The training was supported by the IFRC CCST budget and inaugurated with the attendance of Vice President of Lao Red Cross, Thongphachanh.

Key Outcomes of the Training

Participants had a clear understanding of YABC with knowledge, skills and practices.
Participants developed their action plans and discussed about the collaboration between different stakeholders.
Youth empowerment action for the community was planned for 2017 and IFRC will support this.

This training had two impacts:
1) Thai Red Cross YABC youth were mobilised to be co-facilitators under the coach of Youth and Volunteering Officer and gained facilitation experience and decided to roll out this programme in Thai RC youth activities.
2) It became one opportunity of partnership and advocacy between all youth stakeholders in Laos such as the Ministry of Education, Youth Union and RCY. They developed their joint actions to motivate the other youth to join the RC and community actions with high zeal.

Mosquito-Borne Diseases Workshop for Red Cross Health Workers | 6-8 December 2016 | Viet Nam
2016-12-06 - 2016-12-08
Dengue, Chikungunya and more recently the Zika virus pose an increasing threat to vulnerable populations worldwide. All of these vector-borne diseases are endemic to various countries in Asia and Pacific and in some countries infection rates, particularly of Dengue, have reached alarming proportions.

On 6 to 8 December 2016, the Viet Nam Red Cross Society, in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies organized a mosquito-borne diseases workshop for Red Cross health workers from four National Societies of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam. The workshop, which was supported by the Finnish and New Zealand Red Cross Societies, focused on improving the participants’ knowledge around vector-borne diseases and exploring solutions to issues faced by the health workers in their respective communities. The workshop was also an opportunity to pilot the Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya Prevention Toolkit recently developed by the IFRC.
The four Southeast Asia countries have seen a similar rise in dengue cases. In Viet Nam, nearly 99,000 dengue cases were reported in 2016, as opposed to around 83,000 cases in 2015. There have been reports of 93 Zika virus cases in the country, 77 of which occurred in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city.
“Having this type of training is crucial at this point in time, as it will help us as health workers to address the situation before it worsens,” said Dao Thi Thanh Tam, Under-Secretary General and the Director of Healthcare Department for the Viet Nam Red Cross Society.
“This was a very participatory training where everyone got the chance to be involved,” said Sok Long, the Director of the Healthcare Department at the Cambodian Red Cross. “Throughout the workshop, there was a lot of practical sessions, that will help us apply theory into practice for our work in the community.”
Kym Blechynden, the IFRC’s Regional Emergency Health Coordinator for Asia Pacific, says that mosquito-borne diseases including Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya kill more than 725,000 people globally each year.
“These diseases are largely preventable and we must do more to stop what has become a silent disaster,” she says. “The IFRC is partnering with National Societies across Asia-Pacific to roll out a new Zika-Dengue-Chikunguya (ZDC) Toolkit which enables communities to take action to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and prevent transmission.”

The Toolkit contains Community and School Prevention Modules and a toolkit of resources and games to print out and use. It can be used by Red Cross volunteers and anyone working with communities to pass on knowledge and skills in prevention and response on Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya. It helps volunteers and communities to understand the cause, symptoms, treatment and the prevention of these diseases. The resource can be adapted and used in existing community health programmes and activities, integrated with other sector activities and it can also be adapted for use in emergencies and after disasters.
As climate change shifts the distribution of mosquitoes to new areas, mosquito control programmes, community empowerment and awareness campaigns are proven strategies to reduce the impacts of vector-borne diseases. Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers play a key role in their community, particularly in school outreach programmes and activities targeted around prevention efforts. These community-based activities need to be sustained to ensure long-lasting disease control.
During the workshop the participants took part in piloting the Toolkit’s usability and effectiveness. On the last day participants worked in their National Society groups to plan how they could integrate mosquito-borne disease prevention activities into core business and how the Toolkit activities could be included into current or proposed programmes and activities.
Copies of the Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya Toolkit can be downloaded from here:

ZDC Toolkit – Community Module
ZDC Toolkit – School / Youth Module
ZDC Prevention Toolkit

Youth in School Safety Facilitators Training | 5-8 December 2016 | Myanmar Red Cross
2016-12-05 - 2016-12-08
In order to add value to the School Based Disaster Risk Reduction project in Myanmar funded by Hong Kong Red Cross, Myanmar Red Cross conducted Youth in School Safety Facilitators training for a purpose of integration between Disaster Management and Organizational Development/Youth as the youth empowerment initiative.
Objectives of the Workshop

To enhance the capacity of Myanmar Red Cross School Safety with meaningful involvement of youth volunteers to be facilitators in order to roll out school safety initiative into all schools over the country through the Regional Youth in School Safety tool.
To provide an opportunity to youth and volunteers to expand Red Cross Youth clubs and junior Red Cross youth members to join the Red Cross programmes with a children-friendly training module.

The Youth in School Safety Facilitators training in Myanmar was held on 5-8 December 2016. It was facilitated by Youth and Volunteering Officer, DRR Officer and two Myanmar RC youth facilitators as co-facilitators in close cooperation with the OD and DM department of MRCS.

Key Outcomes of the Training

Participants had clear understanding of the school safety framework with 3 pillars, and the concept of school safety action.
Participants became the first-time facilitators in school safety through the demonstration at school and built confidence to continue to be youth facilitators
Participants developed their action plans to extend this programme to their communities/towns with their own resources and with the practice of the guide.

Finally, the OD and DM department recognized the youth facilitators as key players for their School Safety programme and appreciated the training module and would like to integrate this module into School Safety programme from 2017 onwards.
Please see the report and agenda.

International Volunteer Day Community on the Go by Singapore Red Cross | 4 December 2016 | Singapore
2016-12-04
International Volunteer Day (IVD), usually held every 5 December around the world, is aimed at recognising the role of volunteers in uplifting the humanitarian agenda.
On 4 December, Singapore Red Cross (SRC) commemorated International Volunteer Day (IVD) by creating awareness and re-acquainting volunteers and members with the local humanitarian services of the Singapore Red Cross. Volunteers learnt about SRC’s FoodAid, TransportAid, ElderAid and Red Cross Home for the Disabled.
Themed “Community on the Go!”, this year’s IVD saw volunteers from different walks of life gathering at Red Cross House. They later visited the Red Cross Home for the Disabled (RCHD) at Lengkok Bahru and Red Cross Training Campsite (RCTC) at Jalan Khairuddin. For the volunteers, it was an opportunity not only to learn more about SRC, but to interact with fellow volunteers.
At the first stop at RCHD, the volunteers received a tutorial on how to make towel lollipops. They also enjoyed signing their names on the banner with the “C.L.A.R.E. @ Tampines” printed on it. C.L.A.R.E, which stands for Community-Led Action for Resilience, is one of SRC’s flagship services that mobilises volunteers to care, befriend, and build resilience amongst the vulnerable members of the community. One of the ElderAid volunteers present at the event was 43 year-old Mrs. Ravis Cherry Tan. She has been volunteering for almost three years. She is as dedicated a volunteer as she is a dedicated wife and a mother.
The last stop for the day’s tour was at the RCTC. The campsite is used as a platform for the youth to learn, interact, and bond with each others. It is also used to host leadership and instructor training programmes. At the site, the volunteers were treated to a sumptuous spread and photo opportunities, much to the delight of those who brought their families along.
Fifteen year-old Siva Arunachala, who attended IVD with his father, a long-time volunteer, was clearly pleased with the event. He had visited the campsite as a Red Cross Youth, where he learnt first aid. He looks forward to more volunteering opportunities with the Red Cross, such as blood donation drives.
Another volunteer who was very happy to be part of this year’s IVD was Johnson Ong, 53. When asked about what motivated him to start volunteering, he said that he has passion for helping people.
Veteran volunteer, Tang Chun Tuck only had good words to say of Johnson, “He doesn’t do it (volunteering) alone, he does it with other people. He inspires and encourages others to do it too.”
An inspiring man himself, Chun Tuck shared he has been serving the Red Cross since he was twelve years old. Now 64, Chun Tuck said that he still wants to donate blood. However, he comically lamented, “My blood is too old. We want more young blood!”
It was indeed a fun-filled day for the volunteers: a special day for the people who are always on the go, and whose happiness lies in serving the community.

World AIDS Day by Thai Red Cross Society | 1 December 2016 | Thailand
2016-12-01
For World AIDS Day 2016, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre (TRCARC) brought World AIDS Day to life in the communities by organizing special events to raise awareness of the role that individuals and communities could play in preventing the spread of HIV. The events promoted Free HIV testing and encourage individuals and their partners to know their HIV status at Anonymous Clinic and in the prison in Pathumthani province, and screening and discussion of VD, TB and Hepatitis B & C. Also occurred was activities to disseminate HIV/AIDS information to the public following the UN’s theme for this year’s World AIDS Day which is Hands Up for #HIV Prevention.
Activities
1. Communication through the social media outlets about HIV prevention, testing and treatment
– Online HIV risk reduction message to communicate accurate information about HIV, HIV risk, and ways to prevent both acquisition and transmission
= Promotion of free HIV Testing on World AIDS Day
2. On 1 December 2016, TRCARC joined the official World AIDS Day Celebration at Anonymous Clinic.
– Booth exhibition
– Free HIV testing was offered on World AIDS Day on 1 December
– Black ribbons were distributed
3. Students Debate & Debunk HIV Myths at Tessaban 2 Wat Saneha School in Nakhon Pathom province. This province, located approximately 70 kilometers away to the South of Thailand from Bangkok was chosen for several reasons; the first being that it is one of the zones where TRCARC presently work for Harm Reduction, and the second being that TRCARC wanted to bring our message of HIV/AIDS education to an area with low socio-economic.

4. Prisoners Debate & Debunk HIV Myths at the prison in Prathumthani Province. This province, located approximately 60 kilometers to the North of Thailand from Bangkok was chosen for several reasons; the first being that it is one of the zones where TRCARC presently works for Harm Reduction, and the second being that TRCARC wanted to bring our message of HIV/AIDS education to an area where there is drug use. There were a debate, an exhibition and a quiz session.

Outcomes
• Using of the social networking sites to bridge communication among a diverse range of users, in various geographic and social contexts, leveraged through pre-existing platforms and with attention to the roles of anonymity and confidentiality in communication about HIV prevention and treatment, continues to increase and becomes more widespread.
• 172 people got free HIV testing on World AIDS Day.
• The event was well attended. A total of 1,714 students in the school came including upper secondary school students, teachers, villagers authorities, district government staff and TRCARC staff.
• 100 students and 100 prisoners were able to identify and discuss basic truths and myths surrounding HIV. They highlighted the importance of education as a preventive measure against HIV/AIDS.
• Distributed condoms and lubricant, printed with “PrEP helps prevent HIV” message with the key facts about HIV/AIDS on the back, which promoted practical link between HIV/AIDS and safe sex.
• Students campaigned for World AIDS Day in public by wearing the campaign t-shirts especially produced for the occasion.
• The audience actively engaged with the debate showing laughter and applause. It was expected that this activity helped to increase HIV/AIDS knowledge. It is hoped that people change their attitude and behavior towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) as the drama performance showed people how to support PLHIV.
• Participants in the quiz session demonstrated good knowledge of the HIV/AIDS information presented.
• The materials distributed to the audience and displayed in the exhibition were well received. We hope that the provision of this information helps to provide ongoing support to increase knowledge and change individuals and communities behaviors and attitudes.

Philippine Red Cross Joins World AIDS Day 2016 | 1 December 2016 | Philippines
2016-12-01
According to UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS) fact sheet of 2016, globally, roughly 78 million people have become infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic. While approximately 39.8 Million people were living with HIV, and only 17 million of them were accessing antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, about 40.8 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.
In the Philippines, as of October 2016, a total of 38,114 cases were recorded since the first case of HIV was diagnosed in January 1984. Of the total cases, 84% were reported from January 2011 to October 2016.
Based on the epidemic trends of National HIV/AIDS & STI Surveillance and Strategic Information Unit, Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH), 26 individuals are estimated to be newly diagnosed with HIV per day.
People Living with HIV do not transmit the virus by handshakes, casual talks, staying in the same room and/or even sharing of utensils while eating. People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are facing bigger issues other than the disease they have acquired but the discrimination and stigma they are encountering.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to uphold one of its missions as an advocate to halt the spread of HIV and AIDS by raising public awareness. And this resulted in a great number of individuals having already been educated about HIV and AIDS, as well as the process of how to get tested.
Moreover, The PRC fully supports the anti-stigma campaign and conducts programs and activities for its implementation around the organization’s programs and services. As part of moving forward, the PRC foresees that aside from HIV/AIDS knowledge-dissemination campaign, the anti-discrimination and anti-stigma should also be given emphasis. This campaign will protect the rights and privileges of all PLHIVs.
The Movement already has initiated several activities that promote the Zero Discrimination Campaign on HIV/AIDS. Also, the PRC adopts the “Workplace Policy” in accordance with the National and International Law and Conferences that creates a chance for the PLHIV to work and live as usual in PRC environment.
In celebration of World AIDS Day, the PRC initiates activities that aims to amplify national awareness and issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. A total of 171 participated during the HIV/AIDS symposium held at 2nd Floor of PRC tower. The symposium started with giving trivia about HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day. It was then followed by the launching of “Workplace Policy” on HIV/AIDS and an audio-visual campaign-presentation was also shown. The resource speaker discussed the topics of HIV/AIDS within the community and PLHIVs’ chances and challenges. A message from PRC Chairman Richard Gordon ended the symposium.

Starting end of November, PRC Chapters nationwide participated in the countdown for 15,000 Hands Up for #HIVprevention. The mechanism of the campaign was on their palms where they wrote their advocacy messages to show support to PLHIVs and to commemorate the people who have died because of HIV and AIDS. They rose their hands up and had their photographs taken, then posted them on their different social media accounts. Also, the Chapters conducted different initiatives in celebration of World AIDS Day such as candle lighting, human ribbon formation, information dissemination on HIV/AIDS, parade/walk, run for a cause, masquerade party, participation in different local HIV/AIDS sector activities.
In this endeavour of the PRC, this battle is not only against the spread of HIV/AIDS, but as well as the issues surrounding it and community involvement is the best method to win it. The PRC will continuously mobilize the Red Cross’ 143 volunteers to visit communities and disseminate information about HIV/AIDS, promote preventive measures, as well as distribute condoms to promote safe sex. Also, PRC will integrate counselling sessions for pre- and post-HIV/AIDS testing on its program. This mission will not only require putting our hands up for HIV prevention but standing up for what the humanity needs.

Featured Video
A video made for the occasion of World AIDS Day 2016 highlighting being against discrimination of HIV-infected people in workplaces.
