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The county’s capacity to deliver emergency relief safely and efficiently to families during disasters has been strengthened with the training and certification of 18 national disaster responders.

They were among personnel from four countries across the Caribbean who benefited from the Last Mile Distribution Training of Trainers programme conducted by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Held over three days from July 14 to 16 at ODPEM’s Haining Road location in New Kingston, the hands-on course brought together participants from four Caribbean countries—Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including national disaster management offices, humanitarian organisations and community responders.

Each newly certified trainer will cascade the training in their own organisations, extending the reach to approximately 300 field staff across the region.

The objective is to develop a cadre of certified trainers with the knowledge, skills, and competence to plan, coordinate and deliver Last Mile Distribution operations in accordance with internationally recognised humanitarian standards.

In his remarks, Deputy Director General, ODPEM, Richard Thompson, noted the importance of the training in the country’s disaster response.

“At ODPEM, we recognise that emergency response is not measured simply by the amount of relief that enters a country. Success is measured by our ability to ensure that those supplies reach the right people, at the right place, at the right time, and through systems that are transparent, accountable and inclusive. That is the essence of Last Mile Distribution, and it is one of the most important components of humanitarian response,” he said.

He noted that the reality was reinforced by the Hurricane Melissa experience.

“As the strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in Jamaica, it tested every aspect of our national preparedness and response system. While the event highlighted the resilience of our institutions and communities, it also reminded us that effective relief operations depend on careful planning, strong coordination, reliable information, trained personnel, and well-established partnerships long before an emergency occurs,” he pointed out.

He reminded the participants that preparedness cannot begin after disaster strikes, but is built through training, planning, practice and continuous improvement.

Emergency Response Specialist, IOM Caribbean, Jan-Willem Wegdam, said that the objective of the training is to better prepare the countries for emergencies during the hurricane season.

“What we did was to make sure that everyone understands the distribution. A lot can go wrong where the wrong things are distributed—people are double dipping; how do you prevent that and make sure that you reach everyone? Also, there are people who are less visible in the community, such as the elderly or people with disabilities, so we are very aware of how to engage them,” he noted.

Wegdam said the training also addressed the response to beneficiaries, who are dissatisfied with aid received or the manner in which it was provided.

“We provided a whole comprehensive package around all aspects of distribution, and they [trainees] have an obligation in the upcoming two months to train 15 more people,” he pointed out.