by Ivan Rosario, 2024 Intern for Communication and Advocacy
As part of the Anticipatory Action Humanitarian Response Committee of Catanduanes, Educo Philippines recently attended the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit in Virac, last July 2 to 4, 2024.
This summit was organized by the provincial government unit (LGU) in line with the celebration of the National Disaster Resilience Month with the theme “Bantayog ng Katatagan at ang Pagbubuklod sa Layuning Kahandaan.”
Its primary aim is to highlight the importance of taking preventive action to improve the nation’s capacity to withstand and recover from climate-related disasters. It seeks to empower individuals with significant knowledge and ideas on how to effectively and efficiently prepare themselves from the risks of disastrous calamities.
In her inspirational speech, Gemma Castillo-Goliat, Country Director of Educo Philippines, highlighted the importance of unity in terms of molding community resilience in DRRM.
“In building community resilience, it is not just one person or one organization. It is composed of many individuals who work together for prevention. And that’s why we are all here,” she said.
Castillo-Goliat also shared the necessary ingredients in attaining this communal resiliency, featuring a sense of connectedness within communities.
“There are two ways for us to build community resilience. One is prevention, so that the loss or damage that has been done does not happen again, and the other one is protection. We need to understand these ways for us to attain connectedness,” she added.
She imparted that through applying and nurturing these ways, the community will always recover and rise from any disasters.
This summit had become an avenue for different organizations to be reintroduced to the concepts of disaster prevention. As the various individuals realize and reecho the discussions presented in this event to their institutions and localities, different communities will also be better ready and prepared for any unavoidable disasters or calamities.
Educo Philippines’ participation in this activity showcases the organization’s commitment of building a community where all of the individuals, especially children, are safe and well-protected both within and outside of their communities.
