Newsletter　ーNDYS-

NDYS in Action, Newsletter

Natural Disaster Youth Summit Monthly News

http://ndys.jearn.jp/news/index.html 　ndys@jearn.jp

Editor (page 1-2)

Gento Kato, Kobe

Topics

Share student wisdom in the world

Contents of NDYS Forum in Kobe

NDYS Youth Editors

Last time, we introduced 5 presentations from NDYS forum. This time, rest of presentations will be introduced.

Global Warming and Disaster Reduction/FUKIAI HIGH SCHOOL―Kobe, Japan

In Fukiai high school, students were researching about global warming and disaster reduction. On global warming topic, they first pointed out damages from global warming, and they informed us that CO2 is one of main factors of global warming.

They showed four ways to reduce quantity of CO2.

◆To use remains of bath water　→　7kg can be reduced in one year

◆Set an air conditioner 1 degree Celsius higher　→ 33kg can be reduced in one year.

◆Set heating 1 degree Celsius lower　→ 33kg can be reduced in one year

◆ Cut down 50％ of standby mode electricity → 60kg can be reduced in one year .Also, there other ways to stop global warming were explained.

　　●Reduce garbage―Not to buy products with so much wrapping

　　●Save energy―To turn off rights you don’t need, Not to use much water (especially hot water)

　　● Use public transportation―To use cars as less as possible

In Fukiai High School, students said, they are reusing paper and recycling used clothes to stop global warming. Also, they turn off lights in empty hallway or bath room, and studying about environmental problem in class.

On Disaster Reduction topic, students talked about environmental problem in Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake which was occurred in 1995. They were talking about the garbage problem of earthquake. According to them, 250,000 homes were collapsed, and 873,980 tons of garbage came out. This amount of garbage is equivalent to the amount of garbage comes out in Kobe in 10 years. They also talked about the importance of water. They said that Great Hanshin Awaji earthquake taught them importance of education and community network.

　　They taught us what we can do for disaster reduction, divided into four parts.
1. Reduce・Reuse・Recycle
2. Invention and use of eco friendly goods
3. Save Water, Save Energy
4. Disaster reduction lessons in local communities and at school

　　These are what we can do now, and this is the way we can reduce the damage of disasters caused by “natural phenomena”.

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Safety Bag/KHERAD HIGH SCHOOL―Teheran, Iran

　　In Kherad high school in Iran, students made safety bag in their own designs. They first started from designs of bag itself, and about water, food, cloth, bed & shelter, useful tools, medical tools, relaxation items and so on. They also talked about important things to remember when people evacuating. These are:

・Don’t shut off the gas unless there is a leak or a fire. If the gas is turned off, don’t turn it on again. That must be done by a qualified technician.
・A Shoes – heavy enough to protect feet from broken glass and other debris (consider everybody keeping a pair under the bed).

They listed so many things for emergency bag, water to pictures of family or lovers. It is also important to have something to relax.

Climate change and Disaster Reduction/SABA HIGH SCHOOL―Teheran, Iran

　　Saba High School gave us a presentation on “climate change and disaster reduction”. They give us an idea of “Man made Disaster is Not Natural”. They gave us three points
　 The majority of the warming over the past century is a result of human activities.
Humans are also changing the climate on a more localized level. The replacement of vegetation by buildings and roads is causing temperature increases through what's known as the urban heat island effect.
Deforestation can cause an increased tendency for flash floods and mudslides from heavy rain. Deforestation also produces a climate change

"feedback" by depleting a source which absorbs carbon dioxide.
In the last of presentation, they concluded “collaborate on international, like NDYS” is one of very important parts of what we can do.

921 Earthquake Records/FENG-XI JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL―Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Topic of presentation from Taiwan is the earthquake which was happend in September 21st in 1999 in Taiwan. 2,415 people lost their lives, and over 8,000 people are injured in the earthquake. Theiy presented the situation at that time by video, and it has impacts. House are cillapsed, land ascentded, and road is cracked, we can knw how hard the situation was.

The video shows the way of recovering from earthquake. It shows many volunteers were gatherd from everywhere, road and houses were reconstructed, Buddhistisc leader prayed for victims, charity concerts in their school, raisng foundation by performance and selling things to correct foundation. There can be found many ways of recovery, from their presentations. In 2009 it will have been ten years past from the time earthquake happend. Taiwan will be the place of NDYS 2009 to be held.

In Preparation for NDYS 2008 In Trinidad and Tobago/Abe Fergusson―Port of Spain, Trindad and Tobago

The last presentation is from Trinidad and Tobago. NDYS forum 2008 will be held in there from 26th of April. In the presentation, many activities which were held in Trinidad and Tobago was explained. Students in High Schools made safety maps , and questiond to local people about variety of issues. Those activities in TnT are;

・Agriculture
・Beach and River cleaning
・Sand Sculpting
・Environmental Awareness

NDYS 2008 soon will be started. We are looking forward to the forum. Next newsletter will be about this forum.

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Topics

Natural Disasters and Disaster Reduction

Angola; floods and disease (page 3)

Torrential rain in Congo (page 3-4)

Widespread flooding in southern Angola has been blamed for a surge in cholera, with 4,500 cases of the waterborne disease reported this year, and 150 fatalities.

According to Angola's health ministry, there were 590 new cases in the week running up to 31 March, up from the 503 cases reported the previous week.

About half of the infections were in Angola's southern provinces of Cunene and Huila, which have been hard hit by flooding. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 81,400 people had been affected by the floods, with more than 56,000 displaced.

"The flooding caught everyone by surprise," said Adam Berthoud, Regional Public Health Advisor for the development agency Oxfam: limited access to the affected areas also slowed assistance.

"Stagnant ponds create further breeding sites for malaria-carrying mosquitoes; wells and latrines have been contaminated with floodwater, and local communities are cut off from their usual water sources. Without clean water families hit by the floods are at serious risk of death and disease."

Pastoralists often lose their livestock to frequent droughts

Fifteen people have died and hundreds more were left homeless after days of torrential rains in Kasai Occidental and Bandundu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo

"At least 500 people have been left without shelter; some are still sleeping in the rubble of their houses while others have found refuge with their neighbours," Marie-Madeleine Kaneku, the

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director of the NGO Caritas in Luebo district of Kasai Occidental, said.
The dead included three children aged between six and 10, who died when the walls of their homes collapsed. Others were seriously injured.
At least 100 houses were destroyed by the torrential rains and the accompanying strong winds on 2 April in the town of Tshikapa, Kaneku said.

"Following the damage to the health centre we were forced to evacuate all the sick," François Kamudji, the medical director at the hospital, said.
Kamudji said the damaged building was one of two that had remained after three other buildings had been destroyed by previous heavy rains. The hospital was built in 1950.
"We are in a very difficult situation and we will not be able to deal with any cases of emergency surgery; the medication and healthcare equipment was destroyed by the rain," he said.
The heavy rains covered a stretch of 350km. Kaneku said those affected by the rains had not yet received help.

Hundreds left homeless after days of torrential rains in Kasai

Comments: I am sad because of that people who died in Congo, especially for kids, it is a shame. And what is not good news is that they are still waiting for help, but I know they will be helped soon.

People from Congo and Angola have to be strong because it is necessary, if not they will suffer double part. I wish their situation could change quickly, but it is a matter of time, then a good idea would be start thinking about how to mitigate a probably catastrophe like that. Paz, Sergio Daniel

”Communication saves lives! ”

■ For more information please contact ■

ndys@jearn.jp

http://ndys.jearn.jp/

NDYS Committee Office: c/o JEARN Office / NGO support center/ Hyogo International Plaza 5-1, 1-chome, Wakinohamakaigan-dori Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0073, JAPAN

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