SAVE MULLAPERIYAR (KERALA, INDIA)

Des Volontaires Secouristes pour accroître les capacités d’engagement citoyen…

Par G. NONGUE

Depuis Août 2011, la Croix- Rouge camerounaise a recommencé son programme de formation civique des Volontaires Secouristes.
Membre de la première promotion de cette relance, notre formation a été théorique et pratique; axée essentiellement sur la connaissance du Mouvement, les Principes et valeurs du Volontariat, la Culture de la Paix, les Premiers Secours, l’Education à la Santé communautaire, la Gestion des catastrophes, le Leadership communautaire.
Plusieurs vagues de Volontaires Secouristes ont, à ce jour, été formées. Ces formations, en effet, suscitent un grand engouement. Notamment auprès des jeunes citadins. Elles accroissent les capacités d’intervention citoyenne en cas d’urgence ou de catastrophe.
Elles contribuent ainsi au développement d’une citoyenneté partagée, responsable et participative.

Being a volunteer in Haiti one month after the devastating earthquake of 2010 was a life changing experience. Seeing how grateful Haitians were by people coming from afar to give their time, work and love was deeply moving. It was incredible to see hope rising in their eyes while receiving assistance. May this hope not fail, as Haiti receive a continuous and consistent assistance, able to reconstruct and sustainably develop the nation.

Ser uma voluntária no Haiti um mês depois do devastador terremoto de 2010 foi uma experiência que impactou minha vida. Ver a gratidão dos haitianos ao ver pessoas vindas de longe para dar seu tempo, trabalho e amor, foi profundamente comovente. Foi incrível ver a esperança nascer em seus olhos ao receber assistência. Que essa esperança não falhe, mas que o Haiti receba uma assistência continua e consistente, capaz de reconstruir e desenvolver sustentavelmente a nação.

My assignment as an UNV to Afghanistan was one of the most unique experiences of my life. Answering the needs of Natural Disaster induced IDPs and Natural Disaster affected people gave a greater meaning to this very challenging assignment. I won’t forget my Afghans colleagues, who showed me an unknown face of Afghanistan, reminding them gives me hope for a future with peace.

Meu serviço como voluntária para as Nações Unidas no Afeganistão foi uma das experiências mais singulares da minha vida. Responder às necessidades de deslocados internos e populações afetadas por desastres naturais trouxe um sentido maior para uma tarefa muito desafiadora. Não esquecerei meus colegas afegãos que me mostraram uma face do Afeganistão que eu não conhecia, lembra-los me dá esperança de um futuro com paz.

Sou aposentada como comissária de bordo onde pude aprender tecnica de primeiro socorro e sobrevivencia na selva,catastofres em geral. Sou Graduada em Psicologia pela PUC-RJ e Pós-graduada em Psicologia Clínica Hospitalar e da Saúde, pela CESANTA-RJ, onde já atuei como voluntária. Fiz trabalhos de pesquisas em comunidades no Rio de Janeiro. Trabalhei como psicologa na Santa Casa de Miséricordia e implantei um serviço de psicologia na Fundação Americo de Vivéiros na Comunidade do Morro do Turano, na Tijuca.

In the reconstruction of devastating tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, We are some International United Nations Volunteer specialists played a very dynamic role. Due to our close monitoring of the child friendly schools and posyandu (health center) the quality of the construction work substantially improved maintaining international standard and as a out come UNICEF was able to hand over magnificent elementary schools and health centers (Structurally safe and sound with full WATSAN facilities) to the government of Indonesia. At the very initial stage the local contractors were not familiar with the international standard of construction codes, but due to our combined efforts (UNICEF+UNOPS) it was possible to promote local contractors from indigenous construction practices to the international standard construction practices. This success story still gives enormous inspiration to work again for the children and underprivileged community of the world.

Trabelhei como Arquiteto e Urbanista para o Incra no estado da Bahia de 2001 a 2007 desnvolvendo a implantação das agrovilas e sua infra estrutura básica (SSAA, RDE e acesso) em Projetos de Assentamento. Era com imensa satisfação que via famílias inteiras que não possuiam nada poderem ter um pedaço de terra e uma moradia!

Atualmente, também como Arquiteto, urbanista e paisagista, começo a desenvolver trabalhos também para o Incra na Bahia, porém agora no Programa Terra Sol, que fomenta atividades não agrícolas. Sou responsável pela infra-estrutura e projetos executivos. Mais uma vez levando alternativas de renda e inclusão social em comunidades de assentados, incrível!

After acquiring training on "Disaster Management", I volunteered during the disaster of earthquake in 2011 to help victims in providing food, shelter and clothing. Without further delay, the inspections were carried out and submitted for further verification and compensate the victims.

Je suis volontaire depuis 1994, à partir de l'Université, dans le mouvement de la Croix-Rouge. Dans le souci d'aider la population vulnérable, je m'engage toujours à être là où la population a été frappée par une catastrophe. J'ai été tour à tour au Rwanda, à Goma (Est de la République Démocratique du Congo), en Haiti, au Niger, au Congo Brazzaville partout où on a besoin de mes services avec le souci de partager mes expériences.

After my volunteering stint in Bangladesh where I witnessed the ravages of cyclones in the Southwest Region and how it left the people basically helpless and at the mercy of benevolent people I decided to take up a course in Disaster Risk Management. In my study, I conducted research on how the Indigenous People cope with disasters. We know that the IPs have from generation to generation survived on their own using only their traditional knowledge. The information I gathered, I shared with everyone, with local communities in villages, with friends to pass on to, posting it in social networks, sharing it as widely as I could. Some of this traditional knowledge which has been tried and tested through the years include: a hazy moon indicates rain the day after...a clear bright moon indicates a hot day after; moss growing on rocks in the river or lakes indicates that there will be flood; birds flying low and in flocks indicate that a typhoon will come etc. These traditional knowledge served as the IP's coping mechanism to alert them and take necessary precautions to be prepared for the impending disaster. This same information can be useful to many especially in the remote villages where early warning systems are not in place. Getting as many people to know how indicators in nature can help them be aware of what's going to happen can save lives.