The Cayman Islands Red Cross (CIRC) proudly hosted a special event celebrating the accomplishments of Project RISE (Resilience Initiative for Students and Educators) on Friday, September 20th. The event honored the success of the organization’s First Aid training program and marked the official launch of RISECAYMAN.ORG.KY, a comprehensive online resource providing teaching materials and educational videos aimed at enhancing the resilience of students and educators across the islands.

The project was officially launched by the, Her Excellency Governor Jane Owen, who commended the initiative’s critical role in fostering a more prepared and resilient community.

Ministry of Education Acting Chief Officer, Ms. Lyneth Monteith, addressed the event, stating, “Our partnership with the Red Cross has been truly commendable. This initiative equips our educators with the essential resources and knowledge to effectively teach disaster preparedness.”

Project RISE is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at bolstering the resilience of both students and educators in the Cayman Islands. This ambitious project has been made possible through the generous funding from The Caribbean OCTs Resilience, Sustainable Energy, and Marine Biodiversity Programme (RESEMBID), a €42.6M program financed by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, in collaboration with partners such as the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and The World Bank. The initiative is part of a wider regional effort to strengthen the capacity to adapt to both natural and human-made disasters.

Project RISE focused on two critical areas and has successfully achieved its goals:

1. First Aid Training for Educators: In partnership with the Department of Education, the CIRC trained 12 school staff members as certified first aid instructors. This has empowered schools to train their own staff in First Aid, ensuring that each school has the expertise needed to respond to emergencies. The project aims to certify over 200 teachers in First Aid across the Cayman Islands by its completion.
2. Resilience Curriculum Development: The CIRC developed a standardized resilience curriculum to educate students on key topics such as disaster preparedness, basic first aid, hygiene, and child safety. The curriculum was designed with input from local educators and experts in disaster preparedness, safeguarding, first aid, and mental health to ensure it meets the specific needs of Cayman’s school communities.

The launch of RISECAYMAN.ORG.KY represents an important milestone for the project, offering educators and students easy access to valuable resources aimed at building long-term resilience in the face of disasters.

For more information on Project RISE, visit RISECAYMAN.ORG.KY or contact the Cayman Islands Red Cross at [email protected]