Solutions from Ukraine: Diia.Education platform offers educational series on mine safety
Landmines pose a potential danger to locals in numerous areas in Ukraine, such as fields, forests, parks, rivers, and even highways. To increase awareness of these explosive objects, a new educational series has been launched on the Diia.Education platform as part of the "Notice the Changes" information campaign.
Rubryka writes about this.
What is the problem?
Ukraine still holds the title of the most heavily mined country in the world. Over a quarter of its land is considered hazardous due to the presence of mines and unexploded shells. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge about mine safety continues to result in loss of life and harm to the health of Ukrainian citizens.
What is the solution?
The educational series on mine safety on the Diia.Education platform is part of the mine safety awareness campaign "Notice the Changes," which was launched in June.
The nine-episode series teaches viewers how to identify potential threats and explosive objects. It is also inclusive for those with hearing impairments, as it features sign language interpretation. Ivan Shepelev, an expert of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, presents the series.
After watching the series, Ukrainians will:
- gain knowledge on the appearance of shells, missile remains, and drones.
- acquire familiarity with various types of mines and their functions.
- develop the ability to identify warning signs and assess potentially dangerous situations.
- receive concise guidance on appropriate actions to take when encountering hazardous objects for self-protection and the safety of others.
The series is available at the link.
Jaco Cilliers, Permanent Representative of UNDP in Ukraine, emphasized the critical role of education in protecting the population from the risks of explosive objects.
"UNDP is implementing a transformative mine action program to support the Ukrainian government in strengthening institutional capacity and establishing reliable technical standards. These efforts also aim to increase public awareness of safety measures. We hope this initiative will significantly increase public safety," he said.
Olha Sedova, director of BBC Media Action in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, noted:
"Mine safety awareness remains an important topic for Ukrainians. We are happy to launch an educational course on the Diia.Education platform. This course complements our media campaign "Notice the changes," drawing attention to important rules of mine safety and helping people to protect themselves from explosive objects."
Andrii Danyk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergency Situations, added about the importance and purpose of informing the population about mine safety:
"Ukraine is currently one of the most mined countries in the world, and unfortunately, the issue of demining liberated territories will be relevant for our country for many more years. As well as the issue of mine safety among the civilian population.
In the end, explosive objects cause harm and even death to both adults and children. Men are particularly at risk, as statistics indicate they are more frequently injured in the detonation of ammunition.
Therefore, the joint information campaign of the State Emergency Service and the BBC "Notice the Changes" is primarily aimed at the male audience aged 25 and over. Our goal is to create a culture of safe behavior in society to minimize the number of injuries and deaths of people while the sappers of the State Emergency Service work to clear the de-occupied Ukrainian territories."
Valeriia Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for European Integration, added:
"Digital education today is not only an opportunity to acquire new skills, but also an important tool that improves life and provides an opportunity to increase the level of safety of Ukrainians. Thanks to modern technologies and international partnerships, we make mine safety knowledge available to all Ukrainians, regardless of their living places. The new educational series is our investment in the stability and recovery of a country where knowledge saves lives."
The educational project was created for Diia.Education with the informational support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the technical support of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) within the framework of the BBC Media Action project, which is part of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Project in Ukraine, funded by the Government of Japan.
For reference:
According to the Time's report, the Slovak analytical center GLOBSEC has stated that it will take 757 years to completely clear Ukraine of landmines. While this number is alarming, Ukrainian experts have expressed confidence that the country will be able to demine its territories at a faster pace.
Therefore, Ukraine has implemented a National Strategy for demining, aiming to clear 80% of its land from explosive materials and remnants within the next ten years. To learn more, check out Rubryka's article: "Demining Ukraine: Overcoming challenges with innovation and community action."
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