Zar Lwin is a 13 year old student, studying at No.7 Basic Education High School, in Bago Township, Myanmar. She came to know about BRAC Myanmar in 2016 when the country team visited the school to implement Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Resilience Programme training sessions, simulation, and committee development. When Zar heard of the word “disaster” it reminded her of Cyclone Nargis and how badly it had affected their community. She realised the importance of DRR in order to be better prepared for future disasters.
Almost 200 students, including Zar, were selected as the official School Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) members. Since the beginning of the orientation, she was highly motivated to learn more about DRR and proactively contributed to the programme activities. Zar also decided to become a member of the Search and Rescue Committee in order to become more resourceful for both the school and the community.
“I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the Disaster Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Training. I gained knowledge on disaster preparedness and response actions, which I can now share with my family and friends. I was intrigued to learn how to respond to a disaster through a simulation session,” says Zar.
BRAC Myanmar conducted an earthquake simulation exercise at Zar’s school with over 3,000 students and teachers. Zar simulated being stuck under some desks and waited for the rescue team members to find her. The Rescue Team was assigned to safely take Zar to the temporary evacuation zone, and the First Aid Team members took her to the ambulance. The simulation was designed to be extremely realistic, and it helped to prepare all the participants to be more confident about how to address future natural disasters.
