"Vida que te queremos tanto" (Life, we love you so much) is a series comprised of four radio soap operas produced by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. It aims to increase awareness about how communities can address disaster risk reduction, to promote community safety and resilience in emergencies, and to increase the welfare and safety of citizens.
The series involves four separate stories: "Cuando el río suena..." (Where there's smoke...) highlights the work of community authorities in putting an early warning system in place; "Lo que bien se aprende" (What is well learned) emphasizes the rights of children and the care they should receive during an emergency; "Curarse en salud" (Heal in health) narrates the efforts of a structural engineer to ensure that standards are adhered to and the construction of a safe hospital is guaranteed; and "Quien siembra vientos" (Whomever sows winds) shows the management skills of a community leader in setting up a temporary shelter, relocating the community, and renegotiating debt for small farmers and business people.
The story "Curarse en salud" shows the difficulties many communities in our Region face in building health centers and hospitals that can continue to operate at full capacity during and after an emergency. The story mentions the importance of conducting simulations in hospitals and health centers and of planning these entities' responses to emergencies and disasters.
Each of these radio soap operas encourages the public to think about ways to achieve truly safe communities, what can be changed, and the impact of disasters on economic development, children, and health. In addition to their broadcasting on local radio stations, the radio soap operas will be used as supplemental tools during workshops on disaster risk reduction. They are innovative alternative instruments for the educational system and nongovernmental organizations working in risk management.
Several organizations supported the production of this program, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF, UNDP, PAHO/WHO, and UN Human Settlements Program (HABITAT), among others.
The program series is available (in Spanish only) at: http://www.eird.org/radionovela.