When an earthquake strikes, she can keep herself alive

BEING PREPARED FOR LIFE

Suddenly, the walls of your house, the roof and the floor beneath your feet are all shaking. It’s terrifying. You feel like everything is about to fall in on you. What do you do? Where do you go?

In the Philippines, Save the Children is working to make sure children are prepared for disaster. The children themselves play an active role in planning for emergencies and spreading safety messages. This means they are not just safe, they feel safe because they know their needs are going to be taken care of.

At the same time, they’re developing skills that they can use in other parts of their lives – knowing their rights, speaking out, planning and working together.

Thirteen-year-old Dianne talks about ‘the old Dianne’ and ‘the new Dianne’. “The old Dianne was shy and unprepared,” she explains. There was a flood and, as the waters rose, Dianne was more and more frightened because she couldn’t swim and she didn’t know what to do. Afterwards, the family survived on emergency supplies, but there was no milk for the baby. The old Dianne also lived through an earthquake. “I was afraid and I just cried,” she remembers.

*Name changed to protect identity

The new Dianne is different, because she joined a Save the Children project that is funded by our generous supporters. This project brings children together to learn about their rights and make themselves safer in a disaster.

First, the children shared their experiences of floods and earthquakes. Dianne talked about the need for baby milk in emergency supplies. This was one of many great suggestions that children made.

Dianne and her friends quickly hit on the best way of sharing safety messages with other children in the school – using storytelling. Now everyone is prepared for an emergency and knows what to do.

She was ready

Recently, there was another earthquake but the new Dianne was ready. “I told my parents not to panic, then we did duck, cover, and hold under our big table.”

With the help of Save the Children’s supporters, Dianne and her friends are no longer afraid. They do not live in fear of the next earthquake or flood. They feel stronger and more resilient in every aspect of their lives.

YOU ARE SAVING CHILDREN BEFORE DISASTERS HAPPEN

Droughts, floods and cyclones are becoming more and more frequent. Today, there are twice as many natural disasters as there were 20 years ago.

Natural disasters are having a devastating effect on our planet, and it is children who are feeling their effects the most. They are more vulnerable during a crisis; they are more likely to be injured, traumatised and they are more exposed to danger if they are separated from their families.

They may be left with no home, no belongings and in some circumstances no one to take care of them. Their familiar world may be destroyed – their school, their playground, their place of worship, hospitals, shops, government buildings – and all the networks and support systems it held. Children are also vulnerable to diseases that spread in the aftermath of a disaster.