An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 19 low cost' projects that could be achieved utilising battalion assets and expertise rather than requir- ing any financial input. 'No cost' proj- ects that would directly benefit as many lo- cal people as pos- sible were identified, with a particular focus on youth groups and gender balance, which is in keeping with UNIFIL CIMIC guidance. One of the longest running and successful 'no cost' projects that has been undertaken in the battalion AO in recent years is the provision of English-language lessons to schoolchildren and teachers in two of the local villages. 214 FinnIrish Batt conduct- ed up to seven hours of structured English lessons per week in three locations. The student's ages and levels of English varied greatly, so a formalised approach was taken to ensure that there was progression in classes and that all levels were catered for. These lessons were conducted with the assistance of mem- bers of the MP cell. It was essential to identify suitable person- nel to conduct the lessons as opposed to tasking a certain cell with the classes. Without the proper 'buy-in' from the teachers, progressing the language classes would not have been possible. These lessons were mutually beneficial to schoolchildren and their teachers and also greatly enhanced the acceptance and credibility of FinnIrish Batt in the area. An initiative undertaken during the rotation of 214 FinnIrish Batt was the provision of first aid awareness training to mothers and children in local social development centres (SDCs). A series of basic first aid classes were run over a four-week period, attend- ed by 52 local women, some with their children. The lessons were conducted by female medical staff and nurses from the Irish and Finnish contingents. This was important, because if male medical staff were used some of the local women would not participate in the classes. Instead, the women, mostly Muslim, felt comfort- able in the presence of female military medical staff and the level of interaction was excellent on account of this. First aid kits were sourced from UNIFIL Civil Affairs and were distributed to all participants during the final lesson. Certifi- cates were presented to all participants af ter the course by the battalion commander and the director of the local SDC. The Lebanese Ministry of Health also expressed an interest in run- ning similar courses at a national level. These lessons continue in the SDCs in two locations, and may also begin in other vil- lages as they have been requested by mayors during KLEs. On previous rotations, fire and rescue equipment was pur- chased and donated to the local fire and rescue department. Dur- ing the course of a meeting with this agency it was established that the local volunteers who make up the fire department had not received training in the use of some of this equipment and had received little or no specific fire and rescue training in gen- eral. Most of the Finnish soldiers who make up the battalion fire safety crew are army reservists and professional fire fighters at home. Consequently, a proposal was made to the local fire chief and the battalion commander to establish some joint training for the municipality fire department by utilising the skills of the Finn- ish fire fighters. This training has now been formalised and will take place during the summer months when the municipality fire department is more permanently manned This department is also responsible for providing some basic mine-risk education to schoolchildren. With input from the EOD officer, seminars to assist in disseminating this type of informa- tion have been established by the battalion. These seminars were tailored to suit the age group of the audience. The focus for these seminars was school children and youth groups in the area. During March 2015, a number of national Mothers-and-Chil- dren's Day events were held throughout Lebanon. Local events were held to celebrate the role of the mother in the family and highlight the importance of a strong family structure. Members of FinnIrish Batt participated in many of these events and con- tributed to the festivities by donating children's schoolbags and 'goody bags' and providing face painting for the children. Also during March a national Water Conservation Day event was held in the Roman ruins in Tyre where over 1,000 school children participated in games and activities that highlighted the importance of water conservation. Again, battalion person- nel participated fully in this event to show our support. Suitable used and new surplus materials, such as mattresses, bedding, clothing and medical supplies, that were no longer required for use within the battalion were donated at various points throughout our rotation. The distribution of these ma- terials to underprivileged families and individuals through local SDCs was co-ordinated by the S9 cell. Engineer assets and ex- pertise were also utilised throughout the AO to provide low cost assistance to municipalities in order to develop trust between the battalion and the municipality leaders. In any mission the CIMIC cell does not have a monopoly on CIMIC activity. Every soldier deployed as a peacekeeper who has any form of contact with the local population has a responsi- bility to ensure that their actions add to the credibility of their unit and the mission. The CIMIC concept has been embraced by members of 214 FinnIrish Batt and the S9 cell has received sig- nificant input from both the Irish and Finnish contingents in the conduct of our 'no cost' projects. This input has been essential in ensuring that these projects achieved tangible and measur- able results in terms of local acceptance and approval of the battalion's operational activity. Irish and Finnish soldiers participate in a Women and Children Day event S/Lt Inka Venho (SO S9), RSM Fintan Lambe and Comdt Rory Esler (Chief S9) at a children's Christmas party in Tibnin Orphanage

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