Disasters are incidents that cause widespread devastation, harm, and suffering to humans. The reasons for these events might be natural, including earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, or those created by humans, such as accidents and terrorist attacks. During such stressful events, children tend to be specifically vulnerable to injuries because of their limited mobility and their reliance on carers. Disasters also have a tremendous psychological impact on children, causing anxiety, fear, and trauma. Apart from the instantaneous consequences, children endure continual problems in the aftermath of disasters, such as obstacles in education, healthcare, and social support networks. Inculcating resiliency among children is essential in maintaining their well-being and positive coping in the event of any disaster. Resilient children are better prepared to deal with the physical and mental barriers caused by disasters, increasing their chances of recovery and leading healthy, rewarding lives. Communities can improve their resilience to, and recovery from, disasters by maximizing their strengths, building social cohesion, and motivating them to participate in disaster risk reduction initiatives. During and after the pandemic, many children belonging to specific vulnerable families and communities were experiencing a significant psychological burden, as reported in various popular media, which needed to be addressed with appropriate interventions for improving children’s coping, resilience, and preparedness. Against this background, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management, NIMHANS initiated a broad spectrum of activities, including Life Skills Education (LSE) and Student Enrichment Programmes (SEP) to enhance resilience skills, disaster-preparedness, and response in children belonging to the vulnerable communities residing in Bengaluru city, in Karnataka state of India. This program helped the children to cope better with their emotional problems and to prepare them to face future disasters. This work highlighted the need for successful disaster management strategies that must emphasize children’s safety and well-being, incorporating child-centered initiatives into preparedness, response, and recovery operations. The chapter explained the need for collaborative work between various sectors, such as governmental and non-governmental agencies and local institutions, to ensure that children’s opinions are considered and their rights are safeguarded in the event of disasters through appropriate resiliency-building interventions as part of disaster preparedness.

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Raising Resilience: Empowering and Preparing Children in Times of Disaster through Psychosocial Support and a Preparedness Approach

  • Urmila Bamney,
  • Sanjeev Kumar Manikappa,
  • K. A. Tansa,
  • Anil Hemanna Doddamani,
  • Kasi Sekar

摘要

Disasters are incidents that cause widespread devastation, harm, and suffering to humans. The reasons for these events might be natural, including earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes, or those created by humans, such as accidents and terrorist attacks. During such stressful events, children tend to be specifically vulnerable to injuries because of their limited mobility and their reliance on carers. Disasters also have a tremendous psychological impact on children, causing anxiety, fear, and trauma. Apart from the instantaneous consequences, children endure continual problems in the aftermath of disasters, such as obstacles in education, healthcare, and social support networks. Inculcating resiliency among children is essential in maintaining their well-being and positive coping in the event of any disaster. Resilient children are better prepared to deal with the physical and mental barriers caused by disasters, increasing their chances of recovery and leading healthy, rewarding lives. Communities can improve their resilience to, and recovery from, disasters by maximizing their strengths, building social cohesion, and motivating them to participate in disaster risk reduction initiatives. During and after the pandemic, many children belonging to specific vulnerable families and communities were experiencing a significant psychological burden, as reported in various popular media, which needed to be addressed with appropriate interventions for improving children’s coping, resilience, and preparedness. Against this background, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management, NIMHANS initiated a broad spectrum of activities, including Life Skills Education (LSE) and Student Enrichment Programmes (SEP) to enhance resilience skills, disaster-preparedness, and response in children belonging to the vulnerable communities residing in Bengaluru city, in Karnataka state of India. This program helped the children to cope better with their emotional problems and to prepare them to face future disasters. This work highlighted the need for successful disaster management strategies that must emphasize children’s safety and well-being, incorporating child-centered initiatives into preparedness, response, and recovery operations. The chapter explained the need for collaborative work between various sectors, such as governmental and non-governmental agencies and local institutions, to ensure that children’s opinions are considered and their rights are safeguarded in the event of disasters through appropriate resiliency-building interventions as part of disaster preparedness.