By Najib Sani, Gombe
The Nigerian Red Cross Society has charged schools in Gombe State on disaster preparedness and responsiveness especially floodings in order to safeguard the children.
Gombe State branch secretary of the organisation, Murtala Aliyu, gave the charge on Monday during the launching of Disaster Risk Reduction clubs at Government Day Pilot Secondary School, Gombe, and Government Comprehensive Day Secondary School, Deba, Gombe State.
He explained that the initiative was due to the recurring of devastating floodings in the state during rainy seasons noting that Billiri and Yamaltu-Deba local governments were seriously affected by flood disasters this year.
The secretary said the Nigerian Red Cross Society with support from Italian government and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), launched the programme.
According to him, some of their interventions in the state after the flood disasters this year were provision of shelter in women and children hospital in Billiri local government, renovation of classroom block in the area and the creation of new solar borehole in Kanawa community.
He added that the clubs were established in the schools to promote disaster preparedness and resilience in schools.
“The idea is to prepare our youths to understand how to prevent and respond to emergencies effectively. When they are empowered with knowledge, they become agents of change who can help build safer and more resilient communities,” he said.
While in Deba, the emir of Deba, Ahmad Usman, represented by the district head of Bokna, Abubakar Usman, applauded the Nigerian Red Cross Society for the initiative saying it would help in enlightening the community on flood responsiveness.
During the events, the organisation also distributed learning materials, including bags, note books, and pamphlets containing disaster risk reduction information among other instructional materials to students.
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