Indonesia faces a high risk of climate change, and this requires communities, especially in vulnerable villages, to have the ability to adapt and take early preventive action. Understanding this need, SHEEP Indonesia Foundation (YSI) and Save The Children Indonesia (STC) initiated the establishment of Participatory Early Warning School (SPDP). This programme aims to increase the community's capacity in dealing with natural disasters caused by climate change.
The SPDP programme consists of 30 sessions designed to empower alert groups in three sub-districts (Ibun, Rancaekek, and Baleendah). In the 30 sessions, participants are invited to learn various important aspects of climate change adaptation, from recognising potential threats to adaptation and prevention strategies.
One of the uniqueness of this programme is the involvement of Jaga Balai, a self-help community formed by the local community. Jaga Balai serves as a facilitator in a "peer learning" process that is not only based on material and syllabus, but also real-life experience. This method allows for deeper and more relevant learning for participants.
During the programme, communities in the three sub-districts were taught how to analyse weather, conduct visual monitoring, and predict disasters using local approaches and science. One of the interesting aspects of the programme was the development of simple readout tools, such as cloud viewers, which the participants made using cardboard and photos they took themselves. In addition, participants were also trained to analyse and communicate their monitoring findings and results.The programme also implemented pre-test and post-test to evaluate participants' progress and measure the effectiveness of material absorption.
According to one of the participants, they now have a better ability to analyse weather and predict disasters. They are also more sensitive in visually monitoring environmental conditions and are able to take early preventive measures. Alvianto, CBCCA programme manager, emphasised the importance of an approach that combines local knowledge and science to improve the effectiveness of early disaster prevention efforts.
The Participatory Early Warning School is an important and useful programme in improving the capacity of the communities of the three sub-districts in dealing with climate change. Through comprehensive and measurable training, the village alert teams are enhanced to develop the necessary knowledge and skills. Thus, they become a more solid team and are able to transform their knowledge to help the community in early prevention efforts against climate change.
