01-06-2020
31-10-2021
The Education 2030 Framework for Action (UNESCO, 2016a) is clear about the need to take care of education in emergency situations. Education is primarily protective, providing life-saving knowledge and skills, psychosocial support for those affected by crises and equipping children, young people and adults with the skills to prevent disasters, conflicts and diseases. Countries therefore need to put in place measures to develop inclusive, responsive and resilient education systems to meet the needs of children, young people and adults in crisis contexts.
The research proposal entitled "Education in emergencies: endogenous knowledge and disaster risk reduction in education in Mozambique - a case study" follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between FPCEUP and the NGDO World Vision International. It stems from FPCEUP's collaboration in the World Vision project entitled "Promoting and Strengthening Safer Schools through Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction and Education in Emergencies in Gaza Province of Mozambique" and aims to contribute to broadening the geographical scope beyond the case study on education in emergencies that will be carried out in Gaza province and to enrich the reflection by including in this research the lessons learnt from the response to Cyclone Idai in the affected areas in Sofala province.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has become an urgent task and a huge challenge for many countries, especially those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as Mozambique. DRR in education is an emerging field of research and practice which, through participatory processes, involving and giving a leading role not only to the educational community, but also to the local communities in which the schools are located, can bring about a paradigm shift necessary to achieve a culture of promoting well-being and safety. This type of education should incorporate the dimensions of assessment and planning, physical and environmental protection (i.e. measures to mitigate risk), as well as capacity building in educational responses, with all stakeholders recognising themselves as part of a whole (Petal, 2008).
Mozambique ranks third among the African countries most vulnerable to disasters such as droughts, floods, cyclones, epidemics and smaller earthquakes among the most frequent and recurrent disasters. From 1980-2015, Mozambique experienced 13 drought events, 25 floods, 14 tropical cyclones, 23 epidemics and one earthquake of significant magnitude (MEDH, 2018). The country's geographical situation, combined with the limited resilience of the majority of its population - due to the poverty that prevails - creates the perfect conditions for disasters to occur, and the country has a long history of natural or human-induced disasters.
General objective: to identify and analyse the mechanisms for integrating elements of Education in Emergency Situations, with a particular focus on DRR, into educational policies, curricula and schools in Sofala province in Mozambique.
Specific objectives: To carry out a literature review on Education in Emergency Situations (EiE) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with a focus on educational policies and practices in contexts affected by crises; to contribute to the systematisation of knowledge and understanding of Education in Emergency Situations, with a focus on DRR in Portuguese.
TEDeMoS – Work, Education, Development and Social Movements
Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Lingua