Localization of risk communication tools

In this paper, the authors explore several issues related to adapting risk communication tools to developing countries; that is, we discuss the localization of risk communication tools. To this end, we introduce two anecdotal cases of the use of simulation games as tools for risk communication. First, the "garbage" game (Thiagarajan, 1991) was taught to participants to improve their awareness of a second-order social dilemma caused by waste management. However, several participants refused to participate due religious prohibitions on cheating, which is an element in this game. The second case was drawn from a girls' elementary school in Pakistan that grants religion an important role in its educational curriculum. Current efforts to implement risk education in developing countries should consider cultural, especially religious, practices and beliefs.