EENET asia Newsletters : Symposium issue April 2006 Contents

An Experience of Emergency Preparedness Planning in Early Learning Centres

Divya Lata

The purpose of this article is to share the experience and insights gained from undertaking emergency preparedness planning in two early learning centers affected by the Asian Tsunami in Sri Lanka. At the outset, it is acknowledged that the experiences have been preliminary and extremely limited in scale. However, they offer practical ‘starting points’ to similar initiatives and help staff, when working in extremely demanding situations, as is often the case in emergencies, to better respond and cope.

The challenge
The need for emergency preparedness planning is well recognised in international guidelines for relief and rehabilitation and are reflected in plans proposed and resources allocated by most agencies involved with emergencies. However, it is also a common experience that implementing agencies find it difficult to implement these plans with the desired urgency, scope and scale. Some of the challenges faced in the context of post-Tsunami rehabilitation were:

• need for technical guidance among field staff compounded with limited availability of time for training under pressure of achievement targets;
• desire to undertake a multi-sectoral, area-wide process for preparedness through local leadership and administrative structures, which had the potential for forging effective links and avoiding duplication but was often unwieldy and coordinating agencies were stretched
• limited availability of time with the community, fatigued by repeated visits by a number of agencies undertaking needs assessments and situation analysis and the perception that it would be inappropriate to discuss preparedness with communities still unsettled by the disaster.

The process
In view of those challenges it was decided to undertake the planning exercise as a hands-on Training-of-Trainers (TOT) which would meet some of the achievement targets of field teams. It was also agreed to develop the preparedness process bottom-upwards with the focus on early learning centres, and establishing wider linkages with other sectors and agencies as required by the unfolding process. The third key aspect was to develop the plans based on the data and knowledge available with the community and seek out technical details as required, rather than top-load the process with a lot of technical information. The key objectives of the TOT were:

• To develop the framework of emergency preparedness and response in two early learning centres;
• To undertake a hands-on Training-of-Trainers to develop procedures for emergency preparedness and response in early learning centres and develop the outline of a resource guide for their use.

Preparatory activities included agreement on a broad framework of the workshop with participating area teams (taking into account any activities already initiated) and identification of a core group of functionaries to initiate Emergency Preparedness planning in early learning centres. The site chosen for the workshop had easy access to two preschools that were affected by the Tsunami and an agreement with community members (including children) to engage with the planning process. The workshop included preparation of facilitation tools, especially for including children in the discussions, appropriate translations of key handouts and logistics arrangements.

Workshop sessions included preparatory work with the core teams to enable them to undertake discussions with members of the community regarding emergency preparedness as well as hands-on sessions in the community to initiate the participatory planning process with a focus on the preschool centres. Key sessions included the following:

• Preparation for community dialogue
• Situation analysis with the community
• Understanding technical issues in emergency preparedness
• Session planning for community workshop
• Community workshop for emergency preparedness in early learning centres
• Follow-up planning

Some insights:

Preparedness planning enhances the confidence of the affected community
During review, participants noted that the initiative generated a lot of interest in the community. The seed of the idea was planted and people were keen to develop village-level plans. It gave them a sense of control over their lives, which itself seemed to be therapeutic. Community members including children gave new, different and feasible ideas to incorporate in the plans. Children’s needs were put on the table and shared with adults; children expressed happiness with this outcome and wanted more of such opportunities in the future.

Capacity building needs to directly contribute to achievement of targets (critical in emergencies)
In an emergency, there is a strong need for technical guidance among field staff, many of whom are new to the organisation as well as the sector they are working in. While the need for guidance is reflected in search for ‘experts’, modules and practical ‘how-to’ guidelines, available material is of little help as staff find it difficult to quickly read and internalise it. This is compounded with limited availability of time for training as staff are recruited and deployed to expedite delivery of goods and services, often at a phenomenal speed under an expanded programme with limited capacity. The task orientation of this hands-on workshop enabled the process to get support from area managers, who were responsible for ensuring achievement targets were met. Without this it would have been impossible to get the process underway for want of staff time. The exponential potential of the TOT further enabled them to see the value of the workshop in meeting the larger need.

Hands-on processes provide for effective learning
TOT participants also said that it was useful to learn in a hands-on workshop, working directly with the preschool, to understand the concept of emergency preparedness through direct action. They felt the process was inclusive and women and children also participated. This enabled them to learn a range of skills such as facilitation, session planning, tools for participatory discussion and communicating with children. The workshop addressed the process of planning through a direct understanding of the situation and limited the use of technical terminology. This enabled the field-staff to develop their own thinking on the issues before getting into nuances of jargon and getting lost in “analysis paralysis” of terminology. However, the need for information on practical issues such as established practices of emergency procedures (e.g. evacuation process, verification of children etc.) was prominent.

It was also notable that community members continued to ask for ‘experts’ to help them plan, while they already have much of the knowledge required for preliminary planning (e.g. safe location of preschools, identification of safe areas, exit points, distances, routes, means of transport, provision for care of children and reducing uncertainty and fear etc.). It will be critical to work through these mind-sets to build on the feelings of being ‘in-charge’ experienced by the community through the workshop.

Divya Lata has lead the country education programme of Aga Khan Foundation in India and worked in Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Laos and Sri Lanka. Most recently she was an advisor to Save the Children UK, to provide technical backstopping to steer the Tsunami response on Early years for Save the Children in Sri Lanka.  She can be contacted at: Divya_lata@yahoo.co.in.

EENET asia Newsletters : Symposium issue April 2006 Contents