Guwahati, June 3: A state-level capacity building workshop for district-level teams on child-friendly spaces (CFS) during emergencies got underway here on Monday.
The workshop, being held at the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj – North Eastern Regional Centre at Khanapara in three batches, will conclude on June 15, 2024.
The primary objective of the workshop is to strengthen the district-level key resource persons (KRP) from the departments of school education (DoSE) and women and child development (WCD) of all the districts for further disseminating training to district/circle/block level functionaries for conducting basic in situ camp-level awareness programmes for children in relief camps or children whose education has been impacted by disasters.
The workshop is being organised by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in collaboration with UNICEF, Assam.
ASDMA has planned to capacitate the relief camps in the districts with “School in a box kit/CFS kits” which will be handed over to the school authorities.
ASDMA has also planned to strengthen the camps by installing sanitary napkin vending machines with incinerators for women and adolescent girls in relief camps.
Addressing the inaugural session on Monday, Mukesh C. Sahu, principal secretary, department of women and child development, appreciated ASDMA for leading many innovative initiatives for disaster risk reduction.
Sahu emphasised on the importance of identifying and addressing multiple needs of children, including protecting children from abuse and exploitation in camps as well as post-disaster risks of school dropouts, trafficking, child marriage, etc.
ASDMA CEO Gyanendra Dev Tripathi highlighted the journey of team Assam in creating a model like CFS for the country and beyond. He deliberated on the overall objective and results of engaging and caring for children in camps and beyond to ensure their well-being during and after disasters.