Raising awareness of disaster risks among young people in Goma (DRC)
Improving understanding and awareness of the risks associated with natural hazards among populations at risk is essential to achieving the objectives of the UN Sendai framework (UNDRR.com). Educational games are an attractive way of helping to achieve this goal. Such an approach based on educational games is being tested in eastern DRC, with the Hazagora and Chukuwa games.
Hazagora is a board game originally designed to develop young people's understanding and awareness of the processes and potential impacts of disasters linked to natural hazards. This tool has been used for several years by the North Kivu civil protection, in collaboration with the educational authorities, in several secondary schools in Goma.
The Chukuwa card game was then developed and further strengthened disaster risk awareness tools contextualized for the region. It is aimed particularly at younger children (primary school), while remaining accessible to all.
After several years of use, some practical limitations linked to the contextualization and institutionalization of these games were identified. A workshop was held in Goma at the end of November 2023 to understand and address these issues with the concerned stakeholders.
For more information about the implementation and use of Hazagora in the schools of Goma city, click here.
Hazagora game was assessed in the framework of the PhD of Blaise Mafuko Nyandwi (UNIGOM). Some of the outputs of this study can be found under this link.
For more information about the above mentioned workshop (November 2023), see the press release from the Agence Congolaise de Presse.
A video summarizes the organization and results of the above mentioned workshop (November 2023) is available here below.
