Globally, the number, complexity and consequences of disasters such as floods, extreme heat, storms and earthquakes have increased in recent decades. How do we prepare vulnerable groups, such as children, for hazards? PhD student Hamed Seddighi of the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân investigated the policy and evaluation of programmes in Iran, where great importance is attached to children's preparedness.

Challenges

Globally, children are exposed to various dangers and learn the skills necessary to save their lives through preparedness programmes. To improve these programmes, solutions must be found to challenges such as complete and adapted content, treating different groups of children including children with disabilities, increasing the budget and reforming the structure, intra- and inter-organizational coordination, and considering all hazards approach.

With his research, Seddighi studied different disaster preparedness programmes for children in different countries, underlying policies and laws of the last hundred years,school textbooks for children 6-17 years old, and programmes implemented for children, to identify the methods used for this issue and its challenges.

"Given that more disasters are expected in the near future, more efforts are needed to be prepared for disasters," he explained: "Disaster preparedness needs to be developed at different levels and among different groups, especially vulnerable groups such as children."

New and innovative methods

Seddighi plans to use his research to identify new and innovative methods for disaster preparedness and increasing children's resilience, particularly by focusing on intersectionality and by drafting a policy brief for governments, including the Iranian government and international organizations such as UNESCO and UNICEF, to use the results of his research.

About Hamed Seddighi

Hamed Seddighi has been working the last ten years on managing humanitarian services during humanitarian emergencies in the Red Crescent Society of Iran as Deputy for Youth affairs and Deputy for Education & Research. He published several articles on disaster management, pandemics, volunteering in emergencies, and humanitarian action. In addition, he is Associate Editor of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness Journal.In his studies, he focuses mostly on children and vulnerable groups in humanitarian contexts. He holds a MSc of Public Administration and a BSc of Industrial Engineering and is currently a PhD candidate in health and social welfare.