On the 14th of May 2024,the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development facilitated additional training in first aid in the Quang Tri province, as part of the ongoing project “Together We Can” - VM075, in collaboration with trainers from the Red Cross Associationof Quang Tri province. This was funded by Caritas Australia and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). There was a total of 40 returning participants in attendance at the training, some of them were villagers, caregivers, or a person with a disability (PWDs), who had volunteered to take part in their local community’s support groups.These trainings will enable them to support their local communities before, during, and after natural disasters and to be able to respond to accidents or injuries that may occur.So, by also including PWDs in these trainings, it further strengthens communities’ capabilities and overall resilience in inclusive disaster risk management. 

The aim of this training was to consolidate project participants’first aid skills they had learned frompreviousfirst aid trainings.It is important to have additional first aid trainings as a means of refreshing participants’ knowledge and skills within a safe learning environment. It can lead to participants improving not only their skills but also building confidence in their abilities. The participants also had the opportunity to practice these skills in a hands-on approach such as practicing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), dressing cuts or wounds, setting fractures in splints, and how to safely transport a patient. They also learned first aid techniques for more common incidents in daily life, for instance abdominal or chest thrusts for choking in adults or children, and the recovery position if someone has stroke or a seizure. 

Quotes from Participants after completing the training: 

“This is my second time joining the first aid training, I feel better prepared for the training this time and more confident to learn. I think the trainer easy to understand and he explains everythingin a clear and concise way. I have now learned how to treat a fractured bone. I will teach these skills to the other members of my local women's union.” 

“I originally took part in the first aid training at thecommune level, and now I am taking part in the repeat first aid training, I learned a lot of things and practiced a lot of skills. It helps peopleto know how to doan initial intervention when there is an accident prior to professional medical help being available. I think theinformation from this training I will be able to apply in some eventuality in my daily life. Thanks for SRD and ‘Together We Can’ project for giving me opportunities to take part in and learn.” 

“My commune is often flooded in the natural disaster season. And we have not fully trained yet to deal with those situations. From this training, I learned how to do CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), how to properly handle fracture cases, how to properly bandage wounds and especially how to get victims out of an unsafe zone. I will share whatI’ve learnt with other members in the rescue community.”