A three-day workshop this week, called Mobile Maker Space Training, focused attention on strengthening local supply chains and helping communities become more self-reliant in responding to disasters.
It focussed on improving disaster resilience, boosting local economies and reducing the need for imported aid, thus cutting down on carbon emissions.
The US Government, through USAID-BHA, funded the Field Ready workshop project to help Pacific Islands be better prepared for disasters.
“We work with local groups and US organisations like Field Ready to help communities get the resources they need, especially during natural disasters and other moments of crisis,” said Jason Gilpin, a USAID Pacific Islands supervisory program officer.
Mr Gilpin said they introduced the hands-on workshop through Field Ready to help communities respond faster by making emergency equipment locally.
He said this would provide them the skills necessary to quickly provide supplies, tailored to the specific needs of each community.
“By moving manufacturing to affected communities, we can avoid the high costs and slow response times of similar supplies purchased from overseas providers,” said Mr Gilpin.
A key part of the training is the creation and use of the Mobile Makerspace, which is like a portable workshop that is made to quickly fix small infrastructure problems in areas hit by disasters.
