VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Seychelles Red Cross Society (SRC) hosted a community resilience workshop bringing together volunteers, partner organisations, and government representatives to strengthen disaster preparedness and emergency response across the islands. The workshop focused on building local capacity to respond to natural disasters, health emergencies, and other crisis situations.
Participants engaged in practical training sessions covering first aid, search and rescue, psychological first aid, and community-based disaster risk reduction. According to SRC officials, the workshop forms part of a broader programme to professionalise the society’s volunteer network and to ensure that communities are well prepared to respond to emergencies. The training was facilitated by experienced Red Cross instructors from the region.
According to SRC, the workshop also served as a platform to review existing emergency response plans and to identify areas for improvement. Discussions covered coordination mechanisms with government agencies, the role of community-based organisations in disaster response, and the importance of early warning systems. Participants shared lessons learned from previous emergencies and explored ways to enhance cooperation at the community level.
The SRC has called on more Seychellois to volunteer with the society, noting that a strong network of trained volunteers is essential to community resilience. Officials said the workshop marks the beginning of a series of training events planned over the coming year. The society continues to work closely with the Division of Risk and Disaster Management and other partners to enhance Seychelles’ overall emergency preparedness.
📷 Image source: Ministry of Social Affairs — socialaffairs.gov.sc
