Storm Eta Emergency Response in Guatemala

As part of working with schools in Guatemala toward emergency preparedness, IsraAID implemented the first module of the "Prepara2 Program" focusing on including adolescent students in the process of building resilience.

A two day training was carried out for middle school students and their teachers, at two institutions where the program is undergoing the pilot stage.

The IsraAID team found that by asking students to participate, the program also functions as a youth empowerment program, creating a wider reach and cultivating even more leadership from the community with regards to emergency prepaedness.

Victor has been working as a teacher for the past 26 years. He initially worked in the private schooling system, however, 8 years ago he decided to join the public institute of Simon Bergaño teaching several subjects: geography, economics, mathematics, and more. He is also a homeroom teacher for 6th grade students.

Victor chose to participate in the training session of the Teens Resilience module conducted by IsraAID team, as part of Prepara2 program. During the training, student and teacher participants togther learned about different content related to Disaster Risk Reducation, addressing not only the basic concepts emergency preparation, but also relevant psychosocial elements to help build resilience.

“This approach was very innovative for many of the participants,” said Victor. "Prevention is indispensable and knowing how to support others when they are in crisis is fundamental both for us and for the students" he explained.

Victor highlights that the psychosocial elements of the training were key for himself and his students. He noted that recently, one of the students in his 6^th grade class was tragically killed in a car accident. As such, these skills are particularly pertinent in supporting the class community’s processing.

“We learned how to process painful emotions within the class, and this happens all the time, not only as a consequence of disasters.” In this sense, he expressed that the first module training was not only an opportunity to learn and teach about emergency preparedness, but also an opportunity to bring to the class issues that are not addressed in the daily activities of the school.

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