Disaster management preparedness education and training for youth and women of slum areas in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Saritsa Foundation advocates and practices people centered, people led, and people owned methodology to teach participants the art of survival in harsh reality of enhanced threats of disasters. Saritsa Foundation makes people aware that surviving in life threatening situations is a science of attitude, it can instill positivity, resourcefulness, energy and fire inside us. The trick is to overcome the mind of indifference towards individual, family and societal safety and dependence on outside agencies to protect. Saritsa Foundation and India World Vision Jaipur have planned to prepare groups of youth to make them take responsibility to spread awareness and inspire them to prepare themselves to minimize risk from disasters with local partnership.

Saritsa Foundation endeavors for a possible change at individual, family and societal level to make people responsible for a possible change to protect lives and property. This involves raising awareness to recognize risks and vulnerabilities to them and inspiring them to take a decision to learn and prepare to do it. The participants are guided and educated to develop definite plans to minimize risks with use of local resources. The secret to protect lies in thinking fast with ingenuity and responding with developed skills. The youth and women Self Help groups of 20 slum areas are identified for this capacity building initiative.

Saritsa Foundation has planned interactive and participatory methodology to make people learn and act as:

1. Trainers and motivators - preparedness task force
2. Early warning groups
3. First aid groups
4. Search and rescue groups.

It is visualized that the participants will develop following traits to respond to disasters:

1. Optimism
2. Team work
3. Initiative
4. Resourcefulness to use local resources.
5. Determination
6. Confidence and finding strength in themselves.
7. The preparedness brings best into the participants to find their own strength.