5 years on: children vital to tsunami recovery

• Plan International launches website detailing stories of hope and renewal in the five years since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami
• Children's development organisation says children have an essential role in helping communities rebuild after disasters
• Plan has helped more than 1 million people affected by the tsunami

Five years on from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, children have proven that it is essential for them to take active roles in their own recovery.

Plan International Australia’s Director of Programs Dave Husy said Plan’s experience of working with children in the aftermath of the tsunami clearly illustrated that emergency response organisations, governments and communities needed to re-think the role of children in the wake of disasters.

“Children are often viewed as victims in disasters,” he said. “They are seen as passive and helpless. But, as we can see from the engaging and creative ways they got involved in the recovery of their communities after the tsunami, the active participation of children is actually key to them moving on.”

Across four countries in Asia, Plan supported more than one million tsunami survivors through relief and long-term recovery projects.

To mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster and to highlight the way children have been working to help their communities recover and rebuild, Plan International has launched a website called Tsunami: 5 Years After. The website features stories, photographs and film stories from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, along with a wealth of resources about the road to recovery over the past five years.

Below are examples of some of the outcomes from Plan’s work to help children to take active roles in the recovery of their communities. The items include links to multimedia and more details.

India

• Through the "Pictures for Life" social equity audit, child tsunami survivors assessed more than 700 people from 10 villages. During the exercise, they learned the importance of fair distribution of relief assistance, transparency and accountability. Teachers noted that participants exhibited positive behavioural changes after their involvement in the programme. All parents of participants reported that their children gained greater confidence and respect from their communities.

• “Tsunami: Before and After” is a documentary produced by child tsunami survivors that documents Plan's assistance to India – from children's clubs and plays to teach hygiene, to children's participation in housing designs and assistance for their parents' livelihoods.

Indonesia

• There were many serious health problems in Aceh after the tsunami, so among other projects, Plan taught children basic hygiene and coached children known as "Little Doctors" to help make their communities cleaner and healthier.

• While helping to rebuild communities in Aceh, Plan focused on early childhood care and development. Through pre-school education and health care for women and infants, Plan aimed for wider, longer-lasting impact.

Sri Lanka

• Many children were not comfortable talking about their feelings and fears after the tsunami, so Plan in Sri Lanka provided “Happy/Sad letter boxes” in schools. These encouraged children to write letters about their problems, needs and ideas post-tsunami. Counsellors quickly responded with good advice. Teachers reported that giving children a voice in a culture where they often remain quiet increased their expression and access to protection.

• Twenty-two teenage tsunami survivors with no previous acting experience channeled their energy into a Bollywood-inspired theatre production that garnered accolades at home and abroad. For them, the theatre became therapy.

Thailand

• Seeking help from a therapist was frowned upon in Thailand, so Plan-sponsored counsellors travelling in brightly painted mini-vans visited schools to engage the children in art therapy and to identify those most in need of further help.

• Professional photographers and filmmakers trained child tsunami survivors to take postcard images and make short films. Their pain and struggles were transformed through their projects into joy and pride.

“There are more young people in the world today than ever before in human history,” Mr Husy said. “They have a right to be heard and we all have a responsibility to actively involve them in all phases of disasters.”

For stories, images, videos, facts and figures illustrating how Plan worked with children and their communities after the tsunami, please visit plan-international.org/tsunamirecovery

ENDS

---

Contact

David Cook (Media Officer)
Plan International in Australia
Mobile: 0448 816 900
Work: 03 9672 3652
Email: david.cook@plan.org.au

David can also arrange interviews with Plan representatives from all of the featured countries.