The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) through a partnership with UNESCO yesterday handed over more than 30 pieces of fire safety equipment as well as a number of garbage bins to the St. Ignatius Secondary School, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).
A release from the Ministry of the Presidency said that the donation is part of the UNESCO-funded US$15000 Youth Engagement for Community-Based Disaster Risk Management Project, which was launched in January of this year.
The project targets youth involvement in disaster readiness through workshops where students learn about hygiene and hazards during a natural disaster. The items donated include two five-pound carbon dioxide fire extinguishers, six 10-pound chemical powder extinguishers, one first aid kit, seven fire buckets, one procedure poster, one beneficiary sign, one assembly point sign, and 22 additional signs to map out an evacuation route in case of a disaster as well as a number of garbage bins to aid its hygiene practices.
In handing over the equipment to Headmistress, Yvette Archer, acting Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig said that the organisation has recognised the growing role the youth population plays in disaster risk management and, therefore, thought is necessary to develop the programme.