Timoun’s Caravan continues its journey around Reunion. Next stop, Saint-Paul marketplace and the Ermitage beach at Saint-Gilles this weekend! Timoun’s Caravan continues its tour around the island aimed at raising public awareness about first aid and reducing the risk of disasters. The French Red Cross team will be at Saint-Paul marketplace on Friday August 7th 2015, and at the Ermitage beach, Saint-Gilles, on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th.

Since leaving Plaine-des-Palmistes on 19th July, Timoun’s Caravan has met with a resounding success in the 5 locations where it has stopped. Already more than 1,150 people of all ages have been introduced to first aid, risk reduction and natural disaster preparedness.
This is a very encouraging initial result, which exceeds the goals set by the Caravan’s organisers. The enthusiasm shown by young and old alike for this free event, open to all, highlights the local population’s interest in learning first aid and reducing natural disaster risks.
As a reminder, the 50 French Red Cross instructors and volunteers involved in this project promote the following 3 activities in a friendly atmosphere:

Notify, Massage, Defibrillate’ introduction. Simple but vital actions that can be learnt easily, allowing everybody to save a loved one’s life whilst waiting for the emergency services. Here, members of the public can learn how to carry out cardiac massage or use a defibrillator.

The Introduction to Risk Reduction (IRR) raises public awareness of the need to prepare for disaster risks in order to deal better with the consequences. Whether it be reminding visitors about first response or discovering the ‘Catakit’ (a unique survival kit designed by the French Red Cross), this introduction covers the three phases of a disaster: preparation, immediate response while waiting for the emergency services, and return to normality.

The activity booths of the Paré pas Paré (‘Ready or Not?’) project, embodied by Timoun the Tortoise, offer a series of fun and educational activities (‘Local risks’ board game, Happy Families card game, stories, etc.) allow people of all ages to learn about the 7 natural hazards present in Reunion as well as the safety precautions to follow before, during and after a disaster.

To make sure you don’t miss Timoun’s Caravan, here are the next stops:

Stop 6 – Saint-Paul: Friday 7th August from 9:30am to 5pm, at the market place
Stop 7 – Saint-Gilles-les-Bains: Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August from 10am to 5pm at Ermitage beach
Stop 8 – Saint-Pierre: Sunday 16th August from 10am to 5pm in the seafront beach gardens
Note: times are subject to change according to weather conditions.