The Volunteer Network of Professional for Resilience in Nicaragua proposes: “Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution.”

By: Nadeisdha Cisneros.

Edited by: UNDRR - The Americas.

LEON, Nicaragua, June 23, 2015 - "Don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Become Resilient! '' is the proposal from the Volunteer Network of Professionals for Resilience in Nicaragua, which use comics and visual language to present everyday situations to convey that disasters are not natural but a result of a collective failure as a community to cope with natural hazards.

With the collaboration of companies like Apex Studio, Nadeisdha Cisneros, founder of the Network in Nicaragua and Advocate of the Global Campaign "Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready!" – promoted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR), designed this material toraise public awareness of the community’s role in minimizing the impact of disasters.

Woody, the comic’s main character, is depicted as a mannequin to represent an apathetic being and demonstrate his egocentric attitude towards his surrounding environment, as well as his lack of knowledge about the vulnerabilities to which he is exposed. In the plot of each story, the character realizes how his individual actions contribute to building risks in his community, and he learns how to correct these actions and play a positive role in his environment to transform it into a resilient one.

“This is where the character stops being a dummy and is transformed into a human being," explained Carlos Medina, coordinator of the graphic design department of Apex Studio, and part of the artistic team that produced the comics. “It is up to each citizen to assume his or her share of responsibility for building resilience," said Carlos Corea, architect and teacher, and CEO of the company.

The Volunteer Network of Professionals for Resilience was created in 2014, with the aim of building a platform to further integrate the different disciplines involved in disaster risk reduction and resilience, and promote the exchange of experiences, ideas and views among professionals working in the field.

To date, the Network includes 15 volunteer professionals, including architects, engineers, artists, graphic designers, journalists and communicators, who through their disciplines have supported the campaign with the development of outreach materials, educational materials for children, updating of municipal plans and risk maps, dissemination in the local and national media, as well as the organization of seminars, conferences and workshops, among other activities.

Its short-term activities include the formation of a multidisciplinary team and raising the interest of organizations working on the issue of comprehensive disaster risk management, to contribute, through voluntary work, to promote and disseminate the Global Campaign for Resilient Cities and its Ten Essentials, through different actions for Community-level resilience.

"I was introduced to the initiative during a Making Cities Resilient Campaign event, and I knew right away that I had to be part of this network. The Ten Essentials, as a guide for local governments, express the importance of assessing the safety of health units, thus the initiative seemed integrative to me, as there are now many professionals promoting resilience in one way or another,” emphasized Architect Richard Zamora, coordinator of theSafe Hospitals Evaluation Team of National University of Engineering (UNI) in Nicaragua.

Nadeisdha Cisneros the Advocate for Nicaragua of the Global Campaign "Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready!" promoted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Professional Profile Architect and Urban Planner graduated from the National University of Engineering (UNI). She has eight years of experience in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation at the national and international level. Specialist in Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) applied to the Disaster Risk Management. She has instructed Disaster Risk Reduction and Strategic Planning for Local Sustainable Development courses promoted by UN HABITAT and UNDRR in Latin American countries. Read more about Nadeisdha Cisneros (Spanish)

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