Volunteer Resilience Exchange project TER-X with Taiwan started
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A delegation from Samaritan International was in Taipei from 11-19 September to kick-off a new project with Taiwanese NGO Forward Alliance.
A delegation of several Samaritan International members travelled to Taiwan in September to start a new project on volunteer training and all-of-society resilience. Financed by the EU, SAM.I. will be working together with Forward Alliance over the coming three years in the project titled “Taiwan-EU Resiliency Exchange” (TER-X). Civil protection experts from SAM.I. organisations will plan and implement a series of train-the-trainer courses in different emergency management and disaster relief skills.
The project began with an initial workshop on volunteer management as it is typically practised in EU-based civil protection organisations. The experts also implemented a tabletop exercise for a mixed group of local NGO representatives to identify gaps in the current direct collaboration mechanisms between Taiwanese NGOs.
The knowledge transfer goes both ways – The participating European experts have the opportunity to learn about a different approach to volunteering in disaster relief and also gain an understanding of the civil protection system of Taiwan, such as at the national earthquake exercise that they were able to visit as part of the trip.
After the kick-off, the SAM.I. expert group and their Taiwanese counterparts are currently in the process of developing the first train-the-trainer course together, which will take place in spring next year.
Photos: Forward Alliance