Communication & animation

A major issue in Viet Nam has been that families did not know that preventive strengthening is possible. They need to be aware that prevention is essentially easy and affordable, and they need to know that it is much cheaper than rebuilding after a disaster.

To address this in each commune DW organised a wide variety of animation and awareness raising events and distributed products with a prevention message. Awareness raising has ben built around existing cultural themes and events.

Each activity – a play, a concert - dealt in its own way with the risk of storms, the damage they cause and the action that one can take to reduce vulnerability and these events are accompanied by information handouts and house-to-house visits with practical information. The animation activities have been undertaken in diversified forms which encourage the participation of different groups of people (children, youth and families) in each commune.

Many of the animation activities have been designed to be “memorable” - events that one will recall maybe months or even years later. They included the organisation of concerts with local musicians, singers and poets, many of whom perform their own material written for the project. There are theatrical plays (some written and performed by project staff). The project provided songs and text used on commune loudspeaker systems, and it made use of radio and TV. In 2006 during a special “damage prevention week” a decorated truck toured each commune with a full size ‘safe house’ on the back, attracting many stares and questions.