BY ELLISON VAHI
THE Church Agencies Network Disaster Operations (CAN DO) is focusing on implementing activities in addressing the humanitarian sector towards any future Natural Disaster occurrences.
This was confirmed during a workshop at the SSEC conference room, when the Natural Disaster management officials made available the workshop for all the church reps last week.
CAN DO is focussing on implementing the activities that fall within the four objectives: to Improved Church coordination in disaster response, Develop a Pacific theology of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) – this will be developed as a regional activity and the resources will be used by Churches throughout the Pacific, Train and mobilise Church volunteers in disaster risk management activities as well Building a Strategic Asset Management system for Church facilities for DRM.
CAN DO consortium was formed in 2016 in the interests of collaboration and coordination in the humanitarian sector and is in a focus to enhance community resilience to disaster and conflict.
The consortium consists of the following members: Act for Peace; The Adventist Development and Relief Agency Australia (ADRA); The Anglican Board of Mission (ABM); Anglican Overseas Aid (AOA); Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS); Transform Aid International (TAI); Uniting World (UW) and Caritas Australia (CA).
In addition to building emergency response capacity, the consortium also seeks to work with Partners to increase capacity in disaster risk reduction and management with countries in the Pacific such as PNG, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
Over the next four and half years CAN DO with churches in the Solomon Islands including the Roman Catholic/CARITAS, Anglican Church of Melanesia ( ACoM ), SDA/ ADRA, United Church of Solomon Islands(USI), South Sea Evangelism Church(SSEC) and Solomon Islands Christian Association(SICA) as the churches governing body in the country.
