Kobe-Kathmandu Collaborative Exchange Program on Earthquake Safety started
from 2002 is a logical continuation of School Earthquake Safety Program
(SESP) of NSET in the schools of Kathmandu valley. The program aims to
enhance cooperation between the students of Kobe and Kathmandu through
learning experiences and sharing knowledge in disaster mitigation. The
goal is to raise awareness for disaster preparedness among students, teachers,
and other members of the community. The program consists of:
Exchange of Culture Box: it is critical
to understand each other’s culture to promote international cooperation
in earthquake safety. Cultural aspects cannot be ignored in disaster risk
reduction activities. Thus, the cooperation between the students of two
countries started with exchange of culture boxes. This activity has been
a great success in awareness raising and deepening the understanding of
each other’s cultural background. For the exchange of culture student
stay at home in villages with Nepalese students and learn culture more
closely.
Retrofitting of School Buildings:
The students of Maiko High School, Kobe raise funds to retrofit public
schools in Nepal as part of NSET’s SESP. Although the amount was
nominal, the impact it has created in the heart of the related communities
of Nepal is tremendous.
Disaster Education Program: Curricula
for disaster and environmental studies have been exchanged between Maiko
High School and the schools of Kathmandu. This includes the curriculum
on disaster studies, piloted by the Maiko High School of Kobe, Japan.
The Headmaster of Bal Bikas Secondary School, Alapot Kathmandu visited
Maiko High School in 2002 for developing a closer understanding the curriculum
and its delivery mode.
Apart from the above programs speech contest, eloquence
contest, quiz contest, cultural program and various other educational
programs are organized during the visit.
The students from Maiko High School of Kobe, Japan conduct
educational and cultural visit each year to the schools that are seismically
reconstructed and retrofitted under SESP.
Timeline on the visits
First time 2002:
A student and a teacher from
Maiko School visited various schools of Kathmandu valley and exchanged
their views and shared the experiences regarding earthquake safety. During
the visit culture boxes were exchanged among Alapot and Maiko School.
Second time in 2003:
Five students and two teachers from Kobe visited our
Schools and stayed with the students of Balbikash Secondary School, Alapot
for a night at their home. They have maintained a very good relationship
with our students. The home stay was also managed and facilitated by NSET
that helped the students to share and know the experience and knowledge
they have about earthquake safety in the schools and in the community.
Third time in 2004:
14 students and 2 teachers from Maiko School visited
the schools. They performed cultural program together with our students
and stayed at their home for a nigh. Half of students and a teacher stayed
with the students of Shree Krishna School, Dhapakhel and remaining stayed
with the students of Bal Vikash Secondary School, Alapot, Kathmandu.
Fourth Kathmandu-Kobe Exchange Program -2007
Kobe-Kathmandu exchange program was started in 2002
and has continued as an integral part of NSET’s School Earthquake
Safety Program (SESP). This year also, ten students and three teachers
from Maiko High School, along with six members from “Support for
International Disaster Education” (SIDE) team from Kobe, Japan,
visited Nepal (18-30 August 2007). The main objective of this program
is to raise awareness for disaster preparedness among students, teachers,
and community members through learning experiences and sharing knowledge
and culture. The Japanese visitors met and interacted with their counterparts
at the public schools in Kathmandu Valley. The team performed various
activities in different government schools of Kathmandu where the SESP
is being implemented. The activities included:
Eloquence contest: Interschool Eloquence
Contest was organized on 21 August 2007 jointly by Action Aid Nepal, Maiko
High School and NSET on “Earthquake Preparedness in My School”.
The participants came from schools where the SESP is underway. Ten students
from 10 schools took part in the contest.
Exchange of Culture Box: Knowing each
other’s culture is absolutely vital for promoting international
mutual co-operation in any field and hence it was also a part of the earthquake
safety and disaster risk orientation. The “Culture Box” is
a symbolic representation of the culture of a country. Exchanging the
boxes therefore helps expand the understanding of different cultures.
The Culture Box exchange took place on 23 August 2007. Besides, students
from Maiko High School from Kobe, Japan, and from Balbikas Secondary School,
Alapot, also performed in a cultural program.
Disaster education program: The SIDE team
from Kobe, Japan, organized a short training and awareness program for
students of Balbikas Secondary School, Alapot, and Shree Krishna Higher
Secondary School, Dhapakhel, on 24 and 27 August. Around 50 students from
grade eight to ten from each school participated in the training program.
The topics covered disaster mitigation and the curriculum on disaster
studies, piloted by the Maiko High School of Kobe, Japan |
