Saturday 19th August was another full training day for the NMA.  With tremendous enthusiasm the 18 collected data in the local area using GPS and even stayed out over their coffee break.  Mirzo also pointed out the damage caused by the earthquake the day before bringing home the vulnerability of the whole of this area.  There were huge cracks in the building and apparently the epicentre was just 15 kms away.

We then completed sessions on downloading data and the use of ArcExplorer.  

At the end of the day we had a grand presentation where all those that we had trained were presented with a certificate. 

Sunday 20th August was a morning to relax and catch up on a little sleep and the afternoon was spent preparing for the next training session with the UN. 

The UN picked us up early on the Monday morning and took us to the CADA (Central Asia Development Agency).  The new students arrived and were as keen and eager to learn as the NMA students were.  They included 2 from Save the Children, 1 from Care International, Oxfam, Acted, IFRC and the UNDRMP (UN Disaster Response Monitoring Unit).  Two from Oxfam could not make it as they were dealing with the aftermath of Friday’s earthquake.