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Tsunami Update
The Save the Children Country Program Director in the Solomon Islands , Ian Rodgers, visited Banda Aceh in Indonesia in March.
Ian was charged with the job of assessing first hand the work being carried out by Save the Children.
Ian is a very experienced aid worker and while he was greatly impressed by the extraordinary efforts of our people, he was horrified by what he saw.
Ian says that the impact is impossible to describe. “For the people directly affected by the Tsunami, the fabric of their society has been torn to shreds,” he explains.
“While the world has shown itself to be very generous and very willing to help in the short term, communities have been changed permanently,” he says.
“The future challenge for the people will include acknowledging that parts of their traditions and their communities will be missing forever.”
An important part of what Save the Children is doing, and what we have been doing from the very earliest days, is providing protection for isolated and homeless children.
Our people have created a “Separated Children” Data Base, and we have been actively involved in tracing families, family screening, reunification and ensuring that the temporary camps are safe for children.
In all the Tsunami affected regions, Save the Children has placed special emphasis on providing safe spaces for children including safe play areas.
Among a wide-ranging list of other work, we have also focused on:
- Creation of a routine and scheduled activity for children,
- Re-engaging children in education and development,
- Creating a positive environment for children to express their grief through play and activity,
- Identifying specific psycho-social needs of individual children, and
- Giving time out to parents to allow them time to process what has occurred and to grieve.