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Emergency Shelter Kit training

Countries
Fiji
+ 3 more
Sources
IFRC
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More than 80 Red Cross staff and volunteers from four Pacific countries have benefited from recent Emergency Shelter Kit trainings.

The trainings used both classroom and practical sessions to teach Red Cross responders from Tonga, Fiji, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands how to combine local materials such as bush timber and palm tree leaves with the contents of shelter kits to construct strong, weather-proof shelters.

Shelter Kits are often one of the first things distributed by the Red Cross after a disaster and contain two large tarpaulins, tools such as a hammer, hand saw, shovel and machete, and fixing materials such as nails, rope and wire.

The trainings were conducted by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) with peer support from Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands Red Cross National Societies.

Participants said they would go away and teach their newfound skills to colleagues who could not make the training.

“This training was of great benefit to me to gain skills and knowledge of how to build emergency shelters and what I should do as a Red Cross volunteer during times of disaster,” one participant said.

IFRC regional shelter programme officer Subesh Prasad said he was happy and proud to see participants put their classroom skills to practical use.

“They did a fantastic job, their shelters were strong, steady and safe, with adequate living areas and protection against the weather. They also used local materials like palm leaves and branches along with the timber,” he said.

The trainings were supported by Australian Red Cross, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Global Shelter Cluster. Another round of trainings is planned for 2017.