Team spirit: a post by an exercise participant from Bangladesh

This post is by Ratan Podder, Program Officer in Disaster Management and Development at Caritas Chittagong, Bangladesh. Ratan was one of the most experienced NGO managers at Exercise Khichadi on November 1-8.

"Team spirit among the participants and multisectoral need assessment approach were valuable learnings from Exercise Khichadi, which will help remarkably for any emergency response. Thus suffering of disaster affected people will reduce quickly."

Editor's note: for updates on the response to Cyclone Sidr, which has struck Bangladesh, see ReliefWeb. We wish Ratan and his colleagues support and success in the relief effort just beginning. See also an ADRA press release, 16 Nov. (GS)

Tech Day a success - training begins

Kathmandu Nepal: Tech Day on October 31 was an energetic kickoff to the long-planned Exercise Khichadi: 10 days of training, cross-pollination, and familiarization with new technologies by regional relief teams in South Asia. Over 90 participants from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States took part in a day-long series of demos and discussions during Tech Day.

The "classroom training" for Exercise Khichadi participants took place on November 1-2, and the simulation exercise will begin on November 4.

Over the next week, watch this Team Blog and our Flickr photos to meet the participants and read their comments as the simulation unfolds. Over 30 team members from ADRA, Caritas, and Nepalese relief agencies will take part, and they have been invited to post some words on the blog - check back every day!

Gregg Swanson, HumaniNet