Jakarta BPBD educates young generation on disaster mitigation and preparedness

Jakarta’s Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD DKI Jakarta) is educating the younger generation on disaster mitigation and preparedness by holding the Disaster Preparedness Education Festival (Fesdikgana) at the South Jakarta Mayor’s Office on Tuesday. “We hope that these young people can become a generation that is more resilient and understands the disasters around them, which can occur at any time,” said Cahya Amanah, Head of the Data and Information Processing Unit for Disaster Management at BPBD DKI. Cahya explained that Fesdikgana is part of the series of celebrations for Jakarta’s 499th anniversary, as well as a routine agenda for BPBD DKI Jakarta in providing educational programmes to students. The activity was attended by 47 drawing competition participants and 12 quiz competition teams. “The drawing competition was only for elementary school level, and the quiz competition was for high school and equivalent levels. All were contested with a disaster theme, and the winners are planned to take part in a similar competition at the provincial level,” he said. He hopes the knowledge and experience gained during the competition process can increase awareness of disaster situations in the surrounding environment. “Hopefully, later they will know what to do if a disaster occurs, and be able to disseminate the knowledge they have gained to their friends and families,” he said. Meanwhile, Nuraini, the parent of a drawing competition participant, appreciated the event, which was considered capable of combining educational and creative elements in one useful activity. “My child was very happy to take part in this competition because they really like drawing. I hope activities like this will continue to be held so that children can learn many things in a fun way,” she said.