Including children when preparing for natural disasters

Children take part in mangrove restoration project in Camotes Islands, Philippines

When the annual monsoons pour across Asia, 14-year-old Atik worries.

"When it rains heavily for hours, it seems that soil in some parts of this village will shift and cause a landslide," she said from Dowan village in Indonesia’s Central Java province.

Natural disasters are pummeling Asia's developing countries, where growing populations endure poverty, poor health and lack of education, while depending on water and land for food and livelihoods.

Children, who make up about half the population in these nations, are among the most vulnerable, yet are often they are viewed as powerless victims and excluded from prevention, planning and recovery.

Plan's work shows that children's involvement gives children a sense of control over situations in which they might otherwise feel helpless, while providing a youthful boost to local governments.

Spurring communities to act

In flood-prone Bangladesh, local administrative bodies often lack the knowledge and capacity to prepare for disasters.

To address this problem, Plan worked with children, aged 10 to 17, to get them involved with Union Disaster Management Committees (UDMC) in northern Hatibandha sub-district and southern Barguna district.

The children drew maps to analyse hazards and vulnerabilities, and convinced their families to prepare by tying a store of dry foods to the rafters along with an emergency piggy bank for purchases in the event of crop failure.

They presented to the UDMCs their community risk assessment and preparedness and response plans, which prioritised the needs of children and people with disabilities.

"In the beginning, the UDMC members did not accept us… now we play a proactive role in the UDMC," said 16-year-old Mahfuza, president of the children’s group in Barguna.

Plan has called for the formal participation of children in all UDMCs across the country.

Confident to participate

In Indonesia, another children’s council presented their hazard map findings to the Dowan village disaster preparedness team.

"In the beginning we were a bit shy and afraid to share our opinions," said Atik, the deputy chief of the children's council. "We thought that if we made mistakes, the adults would be angry at us or would tease us."

Beyond just listening, the adults enlisted the children as partners in drafting the village disaster contingency plan, giving children active post-emergency roles: Atik, for example, will support children at the education post and collect clothes for affected people.

Dowan is now drafting a decree on forest conservation.

"We need to find a solution to ensure that landslides will no longer occur in my village, so that during the rainy season, I can sleep and study in peace," said 17-year-old Iman Yasak.