Education Staff Hone Safety and Emergency Skills

A blast went off and 15 student actors lay moaning and bleeding on the ground. Psychosocial counsellor Basma ran out with her colleagues to conduct a medical triage. Their goal was to assess the situation and prioritize those most in need. Following the simulation, Basma’s colleague Ibrahim remarked, “This felt so real, it is the most powerful training I have received at UNRWA.”

Basma, Ibrahim and other UNRWA education staff who work with Palestine refugee students from Syria recently completed Hazardous Environment Awareness Training thanks to a generous donation from the Education Above All programme ‘Educate a Child’.

Staff from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were taught emergency preparedness, safety and security, and psychosocial first aid during the three-day course. The final day included emergency simulations to hone their coping mechanisms and survival skills. In subsequent evacuation drills, almost 200 education staff and 3,000 students were trained to better tackle emergency situations.

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