Learning to take action before disaster strikes
By playing Stop Disasters, more than one hundred young people learned the fundamentals of disaster risk prevention.
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The online video game, https://www.stopdisastersgame.org/game/, developed by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), teaches players how to reduce risks linked to natural hazards. It shows how to select safe locations for housing, use appropriate construction materials, set up early warning systems, and design evacuation plans to protect communities. Each scenario offers multiple difficulty levels and lasts about 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the type of disaster and the level selected.
In Bamako, young participants worked in mixed teams to decide together which actions to take. Team One has just spent its entire budget. Tension rises as they prepare to trigger the flood to see whether their measures will hold and protect the population.
Playing a video game as a team is also an opportunity to strengthen negotiation skills. Each group has a limited budget to protect its community from an imminent disaster, and every action comes with a different cost. In Timbuktu, team members debate each decision and strategy—much like a town council—before the team leader implements them in the game.
Before the simulation began, UNICEF specialists in WASH (water, sanitation and Hygiene) and ADAP (Adolescent Development and Participation) explained the basics of disaster risk reduction and answered participants’ questions, as seen here in Bamako and Gao.
“If I were an urban planner, I would promote reforestation, build shelters for people affected by floods, clear drainage channels, and dig trenches.”
In Mopti, U-Reporters took part in the simulation. Fully focused on their goal, they had to consider the key elements of a risk prevention strategy—evacuation routes, improved infrastructure, communication, and community preparedness—all within a limited budget. Once the funds are spent, the disaster unfolds. The score is then calculated based on the impact of preventive actions, damage avoided, and lives saved.
Stop Disasters offers several natural hazard scenarios. In the four participating cities, young people worked on flood simulations—a common hazard in Mali. In 2024, flooding from the Niger River combined with heavy rainfall affected more than 66,000 people nationwide. Because of the widespread damage, the start of the school year had to be postponed, as many families took refuge in classrooms. Intense rainfall, river overflows, and dam releases exacerbate such disasters, causing loss of life, mass displacement, and higher risks of malnutrition and disease.
Schools had to delay reopening because many families sought refuge in classrooms. Intense rainfall, river overflow, and dam releases can worsen disasters, causing loss of life, displacement, and increased risks of malnutrition and disease.
After an active and emotional morning, participants understood the importance of preparedness and communication to strengthen community resilience to disasters.
The initiative “Kalan ye juguya la: Let’s play to understand and take action to prevent disaster risks in Mali” was implemented under the Sahel Resilience Partnership with GIZ, WFP, and UNICEF, with funding from German Cooperation (BMZ).
