CUPECOY:--- K1 Britannia Foundation’s Disaster Relief and Crisis Team – K1 Direct – will be hosting two consecutive 6-day training course facilitated by Mr. Jacob “Sjaak” Seen, Multidisciplinary Operational Team Leader of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team. The course will run until April 12th and will feature a series of workshops, trainings and bonding activities, that will effectively equip volunteers with the tools and expertise needed to successfully manage emergency disaster situations.
Alan Schet, Program Manager elaborated, “K1 DIRECT has committed to play specific roles in the disaster planning, specifically in St. Maarten in regards to distribution, first response, and shelters. Additionally, K1 DIRECT has committed to play specific roles in the neighboring countries in order to effectively fill these needs, and therefore the volunteers must be equipped with all necessary trainings.
On Sunday March 31st, nine K1 Direct Curacao volunteers and Jacob “Sjaak Seen” arrived on St. Maarten. On Monday April 1st, they started week one with full day trainings alongside partners such as representatives of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, the Windward Islands Emergency Medical services (WIEMS) and a few of K1 DIRECT members from St. Maarten. The trainings are hosted at no cost to the foundation at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine.
In week two, from Sunday April 7th to Friday April 12th, K1 DIRECT will repeat the disaster response mission cycle training in half day sessions with participants such as K1 Direct St. Maarten volunteers, representatives from the Government’s Emergency Support Function 7, and the Dutch marines. In total there will be approximately 40 participants that will be taking part in the training.
The course will cover everything from Principles of Humanitarian Aid, Disaster & Crisis Management, Search & Rescue Phase, Emergency Logistics and many others.
The topics that will be discussed and the expected lessons that will be learned will help all volunteers and others attending the training.
Ms. Hakkens elaborated saying, “K1 DIRECT is meant to be a holistic response team, meaning that we also know how to organize ourselves and document our processes. The training, which goes through each phase of the mission cycle, and Sjaak’s experience in the field is invaluable in this sense as though we are volunteering, we aim to do so professionally & effectively. Volunteers mean well but can sometimes do more harm than good in chaotic situations. By giving this information to our team and following it up with future trainings, table tops, and drills will ensure that we are not only cognizant of the response processes, but have also practiced them within our structure.
All participants, including those from other response organizations, will receive a certificate after successfully completing the course. This training course is one of the first international trainings organized by K1 DIRECT, who is looking forward to continuous support and partnerships that will strengthen the team.
K1 DIRECT’s founding sponsors, who help to make training courses such as this possible, are Carnival Cruise Line and the Dutch Disaster Fund.
For more information about K1 Britannia Foundation and K1 DIRECT, visit their website www.k1britanniafoundation.org, their Facebook www.facebook.com/k1sxm, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +(1) 721-543-3332.
