UNICEF in the country is supporting the use of digital technologies for rapid collection and consolidation of information post-Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
According to UNICEF, the use of technologies will also be used to gather information on affected infrastructure and facilities, school demography, learning resources, water supply, school evacuation centres, and accessibility.
“The digital assessment survey form is installed in a digital device and data collection can be done offline in affected communities,” the UNICEF stated.
“Once the device captures the Internet connection, data can be uploaded from the field and becomes visible for the government. Timely and quality data on the situation on the ground is important in the immediate aftermath of a disaster like Tropical Cyclone Yasa.”
UNICEF also organised a training for a local assessment team last week on how to carry out the assessments using the data tool before heading out to the field.
Iliseva Volai, Divisional Education Officer in the Northern Division, who is part of this education assessment team, highlighted that the Ministry of Education’s experience using a digital data collection tool after TC Winston helped with obtaining exact data immediately from the field to be used at the government level.
Mr Volai said the data would help with decisions on how to support the response to be made.
“We have schools that are extensively damaged in Cakaudrove, Macuata and Bua provinces. With the teams mobilising to carry out assessments, we should be able to get the confirmed number of damaged schools.”
The Ministry, UNICEF and communities were using this digital tool to support the provision of best response to children when they resumed studies from their holiday break.
