Disaster Aid Europe
Website: www.disasteraideurope.com
Disaster Aid Response Team (DART)
DART members are our project managers in the aftermath of a disaster and have considerable responsibility to Disaster Aid Europe, our supporters, the local Rotary Clubs on the ground and the local communities.
Their role at the disaster location includes:
- Identifying appropriate local Rotary and other contacts, who can assist in identifying the areas where our aid will be most beneficial and working with other NGOs in collaboration
- Meeting with the communities that have been identified and determining their needs
- Determining the best way of providing aid that meets the community’s needs
- Reporting the situation to the Disaster Aid Europe Board so appropriate levels of resources can be allocated. (In many cases this may include approval for significant in-country expenditure)
- Managing and monitoring the provision of aid.
- Reviewing the effectiveness of the aid.
DART Members are all volunteers. They are required to contribute their time to:
- Travel, at short notice, for up to 2 weeks to respond to Disasters (travel and accommodation costs will be met by Disaster Aid Europe and local Rotary communities where possible).
- Be active in fundraising, including giving a presentation to Disaster Aid Supporters.
- Attend training sessions.
- Good health and a reasonably high level of physical fitness are required.
Applicants will be required to submit to a comprehensive medical before an application for deployment can be processed.
Every effort is taken by Disaster Aid Europe to minimize the risk, however, by necessity, we expect the volunteers to perform in the difficult conditions of disaster-affected regions. As many risks will still be present all prospective DARTs should discuss their intentions with their families.
DART Training
DART training is typically over several days. The cost of training is to be met by each trainee or their sponsor. The training includes:
- Health and safety
- Security
- Understanding Smart Aid technologies
On successful completion of the training, the DART member will be invited to attend the aftermath of a disaster whilst working with an experienced DART.
Be an Ambassador!
It is important to get our message out so we can raise the funds to deliver Aid.
One method we find to be particularly valuable is our ‘Ambassadors’ who visit Rotary Clubs, and other service organizations to talk about the Work of Disaster Aid.
We are able to provide a wide range of resources to assist you including.
- Training
- Displays of Disaster Aid Resources
- Examples of Equipment
- Videos
- Powerpoint slides
- Posters
- Leaflets
As our base is in Prague, any support from other locations in Europe for an Ambassador Role is particularly valuable. We hope that other European countries will create their own Disaster Aid Unit becoming a Disaster Aid International Country Partner.