EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR SCHOOLS IN FIJI
Part one - introduction
Song - Get down low and go go go
Part two - Standard operating procedures
Part four - Fire safety
EMERGENCY AND SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR SCHOOLS
Preparing Young Lives for Disaster Resilience in Fiji
Fiji’s island lifestyle offers children a strong sense of community and outdoor freedom. However, the region is also vulnerable to natural disasters, making preparedness essential. Health Songs International developed an engaging educational tool to equip Fijian students with life-saving disaster response skills, ensuring they stay safe in times of crisis.
A Collaborative Effort for School Safety in Fiji
In 2016, Health Songs International partnered with Save the Children and the Fijian Ministry of Education to develop the Emergency and Safety Procedures for Schools series. Funded by the European Union, this initiative focused on disaster risk reduction (DRR) using engaging, child-friendly media. The video lessons feature a 2D animation style over live-action backgrounds, making complex safety concepts easy for students to understand.
Meet Lani and Iggy the Iguana
To make disaster preparedness education engaging for children, the series introduces Lani, a confident Fijian student, and Iggy the Iguana, a disaster risk reduction (DRR) expert. Alongside Jack the puppy and Lani’s little brother, Vili, they guide students through essential safety lessons, including Safe Building Evacuation, Going to Higher Ground, Shelter in Place, and Drop, Cover, Hold. By blending animation and live-action, this approach makes learning fun, memorable, and relatable, ensuring children understand how to stay safe during emergencies.
Music-Driven Disaster Preparedness for Kids
Music played a vital role in this project, making disaster safety education engaging and easy to remember. Songs like “Get Down Low and Go Go Go!” and “Building Evacuation Rules 2, 3, 4” reinforced essential emergency procedures, helping children retain life-saving safety protocols through rhythm and repetition.
Beyond watching the videos, students actively participated by creating their own rap songs, dances, and dramas, turning learning into an interactive and performance-based experience. This creative approach ensured that disaster preparedness lessons were not only taught but also internalized and shared among classmates.
Structured Learning for Disaster Preparedness
The seven-part series was carefully designed for seamless integration into classroom lessons. Each section focuses on a specific disaster safety topic, ensuring students learn step by step in a structured, engaging way. This approach not only helps children build confidence in emergency situations but also provides teachers with a valuable educational tool to foster resilience and preparedness in their classrooms.
A Lasting Impact on Disaster Preparedness
By combining animation, live-action, and music, the Emergency and Safety Procedures for Schools series has become a key educational tool in fostering a culture of safety across Fijian schools. With engaging characters and memorable songs, the series reinforces lifesaving knowledge, ensuring that children not only learn but retain critical safety skills—helping them stay protected when it matters most.