Extending a Helping Hand in Child- Centered Disaster Preparedness

Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU), Tacloban City, Philippines has a strong formal partnership with Save the Children, an International non- government organization, in technical assistance and capability building program for Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officers (LDRRMO’s) to help communities avert loss of lives during the occurrence of natural hazards. This study employed a descriptive research design to determine the usefulness and applicability of the EVSU-initiated extension activity on mentors’ capability building on comprehensive Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CBDRRM) which highlighted the role of children in Barangay DRRM plans. Through a survey questionnaire it was found out that 71% of the respondents strongly agree that the approach was useful in understanding the situation of the children during emergencies, 62% strongly agree that they understood the basic rights of a child anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) and how this can be protected during disasters, while 57 % strongly believe that they can apply what they have learned.. Therefore, the mentors’ capability building initiative is useful and applicable but there is a need to generate more resources to be effective in their ability to mentor LDRRMOs in CBDRRM Planning.