Johor, 16 November 2007 – Johor was hit by the worst flooding in decades last year catching many residents unprepared.

As the monsoon season approaches, communities in flood-prone areas must be prepared for the risk of flooding.  Students spend a large part of their time at school; it is essential they are prepared and are able to respond in the event disaster strikes while they are at school.

It was with this in mind that MERCY Malaysia took the initiative to share its expertise responding to disasters overseas to increase the level of disaster preparedness of Malaysians living in areas prone to flooding.

The result - a two-day School Watching Workshop in Muar, Johor on 9th and 10th November 2007, which introduced vital hazard mapping tools to secondary school students and teachers in the Muar district. The workshop is the first crucial step in identifying hazards and finding solutions to reduce the risks at schools.

The workshop, collaboration between MERCY Malaysia and the Ministry of Education, complements current initiatives under the Ministry’s Sekolah Selamat Programme.

Hosted by SMK (A) Maahad Muar, Johor, student and teacher representatives from the 34 secondary schools in the Muar district learnt the essentials of hazard mapping and disaster awareness raising. They will now return to their schools to spread the disaster preparedness message.

Students and teachers participated in a variety of theoretical and practical sessions.  Officers from the Ministry of Education and UNICEF were there to observe the activities. They even participated in the spontaneous fire drill.  The workshop was an exciting opportunity for MERCY Malaysia to collaborate with the Ministry of Education.

“We hope that this pilot workshop in Muar will be the first of many similar workshops in the future” said Datuk Dr Jemilah, President of MERCY Malaysia

During the 2-day programme, participants put into practice the skills they had learnt.  They undertook school watching in the school compound, identifying and photographing potential hazards.  They then created a map and identified solutions to the problems.

Participants even developed some extremely imaginative plays, poems and posters to promote disaster awareness when they return to their schools.  The participants were very enthusiastic and actively engaged in all planned activities.  The trainers and facilitators who conducted the programme are volunteers and staff of MERCY Malaysia.

“The programme is very interesting. I get to learn more about natural disasters and how to handle natural disasters.  I would like to join this kind of programme again in future.” said Alif Answar Bin Md. Khambari from Sekolah Kebangsaan High School Muar.

“I’ve learned so much from this program. Apart from creating awareness for future preparation against disasters, it was a personal development journey for me, which allows me to make a lot of new friends”, said Form 3 student Ng Hui Yann from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Convent Muar.