The Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities, in collaboration with the National Building Research Organisation and the Department of Probation and Child Protection, conducted a preliminary workshop to establish school level Climate Circles in the Aranayaka, Ayagama and Kalawana divisions of Sabaragamuwa Province.
The students representing their school “Climate Circle” from the Aranayaka, Ayagama and Kalawana education divisions participated in these workshops. Through this program students were educated on identifying the difference between natural hazards and man-made disasters in the context of their community, identifying the main types of disasters affecting Sabaragamuwa Province (with a focus on floods and landslides). They were also taught to identify the impacts of climate change and the contributions they can make as a school community to mitigate disasters and be responsive to climate change. Furthermore, as part of understanding the importance of science and technology in disaster risk reduction, each school level Climate Circle was given a rain gauge to measure rainfall in their school premises.
This was carried out as part of the “Enhancing Community Resilience to the Impacts of Climate Change and Disaster Management in Four Pradeshiya Sabhas in the Sabaragamuwa Province” project, which is supported by the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka through a Direct Aid Program Grant.
