PRESIDENT
HRH THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER KG GCVO
RAPID – International has three broad areas of expertise:
- Assessment and Planning
- Preparedness and Mitigation
- Response
RAPID-International is now building on the past three decades of experience in disaster related work and project delivery to form an umbrella for its vast network of personnel and teams trained worldwide sharing knowledge, experiences and providing purposeful and sustainable preparedness and a refined disaster response. The disaster response will be carried out by our highly respected and experienced sister group RAPID-UK whose personnel have provided disaster response to 37 varying types of disasters and emergency situations worldwide and developed and delivered 87 preparedness and capacity building projects internationally as well as supporting the emergency services in the UK. With many teams and organisations trained around the world both government and community it is this extensive history that RAPID – International aims to embrace under its umbrella and support future projects.
We understand and have learnt from practical experience that far more lives are saved though preparedness, mitigation measures and capacity building through governments, local governments and communities than from response, which understandably is always chaotic in the early stages. Many teams we have trained over the years have responded in country saving many lives, some of these teams have also responded internationally rescuing people from the aftermath of disasters. These same teams have also used their experience and training to provide community and local government training adding to the countries overall preparedness and resilience.
Over the past three decades we have forged extremely good relationships with governments, NGO’s, government agencies and foreign embassies which enable us to work closely when needed to develop in county projects or respond immediately in times of disaster.
RAPID-International now aims to draw on the exceptional success over the years of RAPID-UK and further develop its enormous international network to deliver sustainable training and capacity building projects and expand its successful community response programs therefore reducing the damaging effects that disasters and daily emergency situations can have on people’s lives, livelihoods and futures.
Our highly experienced sister group RAPID-UK will continue to maintain its response capability 365 days a year in support of governments who require immediate assistance.
RAPID-International Charity Trust Number: 1151233