To mark IDDRR 2026, ASSIST is bringing the UN theme,
"Resilience Starts at Home," straight to communities. By gamifying
disaster prep with its Master of Disaster board game, ASSIST helps parents and
kids build actionable safety routines together.
To mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
(IDDRR) 2026, Asia Society for Social
Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) is bringing the United
Nations’ theme, "Resilience Starts at Home" straight to local
communities. Moving beyond top-down emergency response, ASSIST brings parents
and children together to build practical home safety plans.
While the Philippines ranks #1 on the
WorldRiskIndex 2025,
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative studies show that while 58% of households
discuss emergency planning, only 20% maintain an actionable disaster plan.
Without a practiced routine, families are prone to act out of panic and make
poor decisions in times of emergencies.
To help build those critical routines, ASSIST created Master of Disaster (MOD). Replacing
dense safety manuals with an engaging and innovative board game for all ages,
MOD strips away jargon to translate knowledge into engaging and hands-on
decision-making tools that even young kids understand.
MOD gamifies learning about various types of disasters and
how to prepare for times of emergencies.Through interactive challenges like
"Act It Out," MOD gamifies learning on emergency prep, packing Go
Bags, hazard response, and offline meetup spots. Community sessions even bring
parents together to play alongside their peers and children, fostering
collaborative learning and turning preparedness into a shared household
habit.
“It’s about building a readiness mindset,” says Francis
Macatulad, Director for Business Development at ASSIST. “More than emergency
equipment, evacuation centers and response plans, disaster resiliency requires
a mindset shift for the whole community. This is what ASSIST Asia's Master of
Disaster brings: practical, localized knowledge that unites families and
schools to protect their communities and build a lasting mindset of
preparedness.”
ASSIST partners with schools, local officials, and CSR
sponsors to run MOD play sessions, train student and parent volunteers to lead
local playgroups, and distribute readiness kits.
For teachers, the hands-on approach makes a critical
difference. Teacher Cherry Talirongan of Fr. William F. Masterson Elementary
School in Cagayan de Oro shares how gamified learning resonates with young
minds: “Malaki ang maitutulong nito, lalo na sa mga batang hindi pa alam ang
gagawin sa isang disaster. Sa paglalaro ng Master of Disaster board game,
mai-aapply nila ang natutunan at magkakaroon ng ideya sa tamang gawin sa
ganitong sitwasyon.” (“This will be a huge help, especially for young children who
don't know what to do during a disaster yet. By playing the Master of Disaster
board game, they can apply what they’ve learned and gain a clear idea of the
right actions to take in emergencies.”)
To date, the MOD initiative has achieved major milestones:
471 MOD Rollouts deployed across schools, barangays,
and youth councils (Sangguniang Kabataan).
703 Local Champions Trained, equipping teachers,
students, parents, employees, and community leaders with practical disaster
kits.
To leave no community behind, ASSIST is translating MOD into
Taglish, Vietnamese, and Tamil, while the physical board game ensures offline
learning reaches every home.
As IDDRR 2026 calls for disaster preparedness to begin at
home, ASSIST invites LGUs, corporate partners, and CSOs to adopt
family-centered DRR tools that transform disaster anxiety into active
self-reliance.
To learn more about bringing Master of Disaster to your
school, barangay, or organization, or to explore sponsorship and partnership
opportunities, visit assistasia.org or
fill out the Partnerships Form.
About
Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST)
ASSIST (Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable
Transformation) is a self-sustaining pan-Asian NGO working at the intersection
of social impact and sustainable transformation. True to its role as a Partner
for Progress, ASSIST collaborates with corporate and institutional funders to
deliver co-created initiatives as well as award-winning flagship programs that
convert social investments into lasting local capacity. Explore our work and
partner with us: www.assistasia.org
No comments:
Post a Comment