Preparedness education to lessen impact of disasters

School children in Zimbabwe could soon be taught how to prepare and deal with emergencies following proposals to integrate disaster preparedness into the school curriculum. Last week Save the Children Fund (SCF) and authorities held a joint workshop to investigate the feasibility of the move, saying the initiative "comes after realising that the impact of most disasters has been worsened due to a lack of awareness at community level". "[Emergency] education at school will build children and communities' capacity to prepare and handle disaster situations in a country that has been faced with floods, droughts and cyclones over the past four years," SCF said in a statement. The UK charity noted that the 2001 floods had caused severe structural damage to a number of schools, impacting on the learning environment of the children. SCF has committed US $188,000 to the project, with the promise of additional funds as soon as implementation starts.