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Disaster Management Project in Jamaica
The Disaster Management Project in Jamaica involves volunteering with the St. Elizabeth Parish Council Disaster Coordinator. The project is open to volunteers who have completed at least one year of related studies. You are expected to have a strong interest in the field of disaster management and a real desire to help the individuals and communities affected by disasters.
This project would be particularly good for volunteers with geography, physical planning, international development, urban planning, disaster management, environmental science or psychology backgrounds. The project would also be appropriate for anyone hoping to gain experience or those already with training in the fields of international development, aid and relief work, or those looking to work in charity or governmental sectors.
Please note that this project will be available from January 2012 on.
Disaster Management Volunteering in Jamaica
Whether they’re natural or manmade, disasters can severely set back the development of a country. The country can be negatively affected in terms of its economic, physical and social infrastructures. While many disasters cannot be prevented, planning how to effectively respond if they occur is very important. The effects on the development of the country and its poorer members of society can be particularly devastating.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management agency (ODPEM) is the agency in Jamaica responsible for handling disaster management. The agency coordinates regional coordinators who work with parish disaster coordinators from the local government to plan for, mitigate and respond to all types of disasters. Volunteers are particularly useful in this field since a lack of personnel can affect the extent to which the country can be prepared in the event of a disaster.
The Disaster Management Project designs programs that address individual and community resilience to disasters, particularly amongst the most vulnerable sectors of society. The areas our volunteers focus on include children, women, the elderly and the disabled. The project also focuses on helping farmers and fishermen who are often severely affected by disasters.
Your Role on the Disaster Management Project in Jamaica
The Disaster Management Project is located in St. Elizabeth, forty-five minutes from Mandeville. Volunteers are needed to help by educating communities, schools and the business sector about disaster management. Volunteers will provide support to the local staff in a variety of areas depending on your interests and will actively participate in improving disaster management in St. Elizabeth. Volunteers work with the parish disaster coordinator to undertake a number of tasks that include:
- Public education awareness campaigns to foster a culture of respect for the environment
- Creating public education programs on disaster management
- Helping train students, teachers, business people, community groups, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), farmers and fishermen in basic disaster management
- Developing evacuation plans and planning/coordinating drills and evacuation strategies
- Conducting research and mapping
- Planning and coordinating workshops and exhibitions in communities to build awareness
- Developing and implementing basic mitigation projects such as community drain cleaning days or basic repair to homes for the poor and helping communities to prepare psychologically to deal with the effects of a disasters
Volunteers will live with local host families in St Elizabeth.
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