Emergency Assist 991 is set to hold a capacity building workshop (12-16 February) to help train District Road Safety Committees on the road safety assessment of school zones.

The workshop is part of Emergency Assist 991’s national rollout of the FIA School Assessment Toolkit based on iRAP’s Star Rating for Schools methodology. The deployment of the Toolkit is supported by the FIA Road Safety Grants Programme funded by the FIA Foundation. It aims to help schools map and improve local road safety infrastructure, and promote education and awareness campaigns. In Botswana, the programme will play a key role in tackling the high rates of road traffic crashes, as WHO data shows that road traffic deaths in Africa have risen by 17% since 2010.

The project has already achieved a significant impact. In 2019, it was implemented in three schools across Gaborone. Since those interventions were put in place, there have been no known road traffic crashes involving school pupils in that area.

This year, Emergency Assist 991 is aiming to assess three more primary schools, and provide safety posters and merchandise, traffic calming measures, and advocacy and key user training for teachers and local NGOs. 

Mr Chiseki Chiseki, CEO of Emergency Assist Botswana said: “By embracing the Star Rating for Schools methodology, road infrastructure improvements, and integrating culturally sensitive safety education within the curriculum, this advocacy and implementation project will create safer environments for children in Botswana's schools.”