USAID/OFDA LAC NEWSLETTER JUNE 2011

The program began in 1989 with the goal of providing disaster and risk management training, technical assistance, and support for activities throughout the region. Since its inception, the RDAP has trained 71,797 individuals, including elected officials, civil service employees, and staff from local relief agencies. Additionally, the program has certified 6,557 instructors in 30 countries to teach USAID/OFDA-approved courses. International Resources Group (IRG) has managed the RDAP since 1998, through a series of contracts, extensions, and modifications with USAID/OFDA. The RDAP plans to implement training and technical assistance activities in 29 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean during the coming year. Training courses will be offered in forest fire management, incident command system (ICS) implementation, collapsed structures rescue, pre-hospital care, shelters and shelter management, school safety, and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The program aims to facilitate the exchange of information among countries in the region, provide support for training and capacity building, and coordinate assistance from technical experts in the United States. One notable experience documented in the book "Educación y Gestión del Riesgo, una Experiencia para Compartir" is the implementation of the USAID/OFDA school safety program. The book highlights the processes and lessons learned in key elements of risk management as assumed by schools, including internal security, student education, and educational institutions' involvement in the community. The publication was compiled and edited by Manuel Ramírez, a school safety specialist who has worked with the RDAP for more than 13 years. The RDAP will continue to provide disaster and risk management training, technical assistance, and support for activities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean during the coming year. Planned activities include a regional USAR exercise for USAID/OFDA-trained teams from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; two regional forest fire management forums in Central America and South America; and a Caribbean regional school safety forum to be held in Belize. The program also plans to translate the book into English this year and make it available for download from the Regional Center for Disaster Information (CRID) website. The RDAP has also planned several other activities for the coming year, including a regional DRR forum for universities to discuss the integration of DRR concepts into higher learning, and a regional DRR forum to share best practices and lessons learned from implemented projects. Additionally, the program will provide technical assistance to Costa Rica's National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) to develop a National Strategy on Comprehensive Fire Management.