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NGOs to wise-up on disaster management

Bombarded by disasters such as stadium stampedes, nongovernmental-coalitions are heeding a wake-up call to empower their communities to manage the unexpected more effectively. As a result, the South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) Gauteng Province have created a partnership with the annual African Disaster Management & Relief Expo and Conference 2001 (DM&R!) - taking place at the Kyalami Exhibition Centre from 23 to 25 October 2001 - in a bid to learn how to avert and manage crises within local communities.

The DM&R! is providing free access to all conference activities to SANGOCO Gauteng members in the hope that the knowledge-building experience will assist them to teach disaster relief skills to their community leaders.

"Previously marginalised communities are simply not equipped to respond effectively to disasters when they occur and, equally importantly, local leaders and officials need to be able to learn how to plan and put in place mechanisms that work to help prevent disasters occurring at all," says Plaatjie Corley Mashego, Provincial Chairperson of SANGOCO Gauteng.

Mashego said Gauteng hoped to be able to encourage SANGOCO's other provincial and sectorial affiliates to follow their lead when they hold their national meeting in November.

Conference organiser Bette McNaughton said it was essential that Africans were prepared to manage disasters wherever they occurred. "Every part of the world is constantly plagued by disaster - and Africa is no exception, except that frequently previously marginalised communities are simply not empowered to be able to effectively deal with a crisis when it affects them."

The DM&R! exhibition and conference has attracted some of the world's leading experts in the field of disaster management who will address the conference sessions, while more than 30 crisis and relief suppliers have already booked exhibition space.

The conference will address such issues as marine disaster containment, fire prevention, trauma and crowd control at mass gatherings, mapping of flood areas and flood prevention and HIV/AIDS. Speakers include some of the world's top experts in these fields. A limited amount of exhibition space is still available.

For further details contact Bette McNaughton on 082 558 5431 or (021) 683 1117.

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