Preventing and Responding to Emergencies

Riesgolandia

Learning to prevent disasters
UNICEF’s office in Santo Domingo is introducing a guide called “Let’s Learn to Prevent Disasters. Children from the Dominican Republic Participate in Risk Reduction”, which provides the educational community and children with an innovative and interactive risk management tool, contributing to promote greater understanding about people’s interaction with their surroundings.

The teaching materials include “Riesgolandia” (“Riskland”), a flexible and enjoyable game aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 13. Messages about disaster prevention and practices that help can reduce community vulnerability are found throughout the game.

It also aims to motivate the communities to work jointly and continually with the aim of reducing the impact of disasters, an area where children can play a very important part, by getting involved in aspects such as encouraging their families and their communities to take part in activities on the subject.
Children can also share information about natural threats, motivating people to take preventive measures, carrying out actions and developing attitudes aimed at creating a real and lasting culture of prevention, which will help adults to learn about natural phenomena.
The publication is the result of a joint effort between the Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) Latin America and Caribbean Unit, UNICEF’s Regional Office for Latin America and the country Office.

Specialists from a range of institutions involved in emergency management at municipal and national level took part in producing the Dominican version. The graphic design illustrations are by Susie Gadea.

In September 2005, the first major games afternoon was organised with the contents of the Disaster Prevention Guide and Riesgolandia, in the Municipal park in Jimani, in Independencia Province. Dozens of children and young people took part, supported by local community organisations. Non-Governmental Organisations have also been using this innovative disaster prevention guide.

If you would like to obtain a copy of this publication, please contact us.

See the publication in spanish

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What is Risk Management?

It is the capacity that a community develops in order to effectively manage its relationship with risks, so that risks do not necessarily turn into disasters.

The Right to Access to Adequate Information

All children and adolescents have the right to seek, receive and diffuse information and ideas of all types, in all the subjects that interest them and affect them. States parties must guarantee access to information and materials from a range of sources, especially ones aimed at promoting their social, spiritual and moral wellbeing, and their physical and mental health.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 12,13 and 17.

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