Global Disaster Reduction and Relief

Through the process of community training and education, the Mustard Seed Mission (MSM) conveys the correct knowledge of disaster prevention and mutual assistance, and more importantly, it advocates that disaster prevention should begin with the whole group of people to jointly build a community protection network.

Regardless the difference in ages, ethnic groups, classes, cultures, ideas and experiences, community members play the key role in the resilience of the community to disasters.

The goal of the Disaster Prevention and Relief Service of MSM is to improve the resilience of the community. Therefore, connecting 4 characteristic communities, including Hu-nei community of Kaohsiung City, the Guang-fu community of Qi-shan District of Kaohsiung City, the Lin-sen Love community of Tainan City and the Hu-wei river community of Yunlin County. These four communities have different geographic environments, humanities, community organizations, and disaster risks. So, the training courses were tailor-made to meet the difference, and to establish independent disaster prevention concepts and capabilities, and build consensus to achieve community disaster resilience.

1. Hu-nei Community in Kaohsiung City: Because of the amazing rainfall entrained by Typhoon Morakot, the river soared and the dike broke, and 2/3 of the community was flooded. Participants of the training course are from community volunteers in Tai-ye village, Wen-xian village, Gong-guan village and Ye-cuo village. The volunteers have received self-protection and disaster prevention education propaganda courses, so the courses are more focused on potential disaster and disaster simulation exercises to allow the community to build a more complete disaster prevention and relief organization.

 2. Guang-fu Community in Kaohsiung City: The population in rural communities is aging. Therefore, most of the participants are the elderly. The vulnerable elderly people are those usually need to be taken care of; however, through family disaster prevention pack games, actual investigation of disaster potential and resettlement simulation exercises, these elderly people can actively participate in the disaster prevention.

3. Hu-wei river Community College in Yunlin County: Volunteer mothers who usually tell stories in community life education courses, think about current disaster risks from the relationship between people and the environment, and further understand the potential of disasters in the community, and then discuss community disaster prevention and relief issues and organizations. Volunteer mothers have completed this training and become the seeds of disaster prevention in the community. They carry out disaster prevention education and promotion through games, so that the concept of disaster prevention can take root from the bottom and gradually spread throughout the community.

4. Lin Sen Love in Tainan City: Covid-19 spreads all over the world. Epidemic prevention and disaster prevention are equally important. The community management committee calls on residents to discuss together, find community consensus and methods for epidemic prevention, and jointly protect community safety.

The "United Nations 2015-2030 Sendai Disaster Reduction Goals" mentions "stakeholders", which emphasizes that disaster prevention and relief work is not just the responsibility of the government, everyone should pay attention to and participate, and no one can be excluded. A mature concept of disaster prevention and relief is not about waiting passively for rescue. It should be active and initiative.

When the community faces the impact of a disaster, it is possible to quickly restore the original life after the disaster (community culture, industry, cohesion, reconstruction, etc.) because of precautionary preparations and mutual cooperation. There is no shortcut for autonomous disaster prevention in the community. Only through constant dialogue, discussion, and coordination to find a suitable way, and jointly implement the protection, can we establish a strong protection network.