Optimism and persistence - from a Design Team Leader

This week's post is by Melville Fernandez, South Asia Regional Coordinator of Caritas Australia. Melville has been closely involved in the planning for the Nepal training and simulation, to be held in Kathmandu and vicinity on August 23-30.

"It is heartening to know that this event, which was almost called off, is now going to happen. Thanks to the great optimism and persistence of a few and the overall interest from most individuals, NGOs and communities contacted during the scoping visit which increased the enthusiasm and confidence of the members of the Design Team. The Exercise will be a great platform for different minds to come together to respond, share, reflect and learn for the future. I am personally looking forward to it since it will be a four day real-time event in a region which is already aware and getting prepared for responding to disasters. There has been an ongoing need over the years for developing appropriate disaster preparedness plans and this will be a reality check for us all to see how prepared we are/need to be and allow us to learn from our mistakes and build on our strengths in order to develop a disaster resiliant society, thus minimizing the loss of life, injuries, and human suffering in the future."

Comments always welcome to all blog postings!

Robert Patton on the upcoming Nepal simulation

Robert leads the planning team for the Nepal training (August 23-24) and field simulation (August 26-29). Robert is Regional Coordinator of Emergency Management for ADRA Asia.

The details on the Nepal simulation and the August 22 Tech Day can be found at www.humaninet.org

Although this is Robert's "first blog ever," his passion for teamwork and collaborative action show through:

He writes: "Two weeks ago the Nepal simulation exercise was a concept. Now it is fast becoming a reality! I have been encouraged by the tremendous support and interest shown by the Nepal government, UN agencies, International NGOs, local NGOs and organizations and the community leaders where the simulation will be run. Now comes the hard work of pulling this all together to ensure a great simulation experience that allows the people participating to practice how they would respond to a real disaster event, using their written plans for guidance. The exciting thing for me is working with a dedicated and experienced team of people, each contributing their own special talents, skills and experience to make the simulation a resounding success. I encourage other team members to share their thoughts in this blog."

Please check back frequently for more posts by the Nepal simulation planning team and participants!