1st Network Meeting In Emergency Preparedness And Response And “Useful Communications” – IT Training

On Monday, 4 October, 2010 the 1st network meeting
was initiated and conducted under the framework of ACT Alliance
supported project “Organizational Capacity Development” Phase 2 in the
field of Disaster Preparedness and Response and Disaster Risk Reduction
with its partners representing Churches, church related structures and
civil society organizations in Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The meeting started with Lord’s prayer and a welcome address by Bishop
Marcos Hovhannisyan, chairman of the ART Board of Trustees. It was
facilitated by ART staff, colleagues from Crisis Management State
Academy, UNDP and Red Cross, Armenia. The goal of the meeting was to
introduce the project objectives, provide orientation to the concepts of
Disaster Preparedness and Response and Disaster Risk Reduction, and
present the national Disaster Risk Reduction System in Armenia. All the
participants were involved and contributed to the discussions.
The initiated project works to raise awareness and improve knowledge of
ART partners in the field that are already working in the communities.
When disaster strikes, these organizations are ready to work and are at
the fore front of the emergency response. Build local capacity for
emergency work and preparing them for emergency situations enables the
quick response when disaster strikes.
Several leaflets were provided by Red Cross, Armenia. Except provision
of educational resources the representatives shared their experience in
the field and reviewed the importance of establishment of local network
in the regions.
The idea of necessity for joining in action and bringing a change in
places was stressed by those present and potential for working
effectively in a net for lasting solutions to complex issues was given
an importance and recognized as a shared objective to which ART and its
partners committed themselves.
The 1st network meeting was followed with an IT training “Useful
Communications” that was organized and conducted mainly for ART local
partners.
The training course consisted from the following topics:

• The importance of communication
• The ways of communication
• Internet
• Browsers
• How to Write an E-mail

The training equipped the representatives of church related structures
and civil society organizations with time management, planning, and
coordination tools, capacities and mechanisms for working in their
communities, and with the use of interactive and modern methods of
communication, securing time, efforts and expenses to communicate
effectively.
The training course addressed several important objectives. They
enhanced the participants’ technological skills and abilities, thereby
enabling them to an active interaction with the use of Information
Technologies and also improved abilities for quick response in emergency
situations