Children and Earthquakes

Providing care for trauma

Doctors examine an injured boy. (Photo courtesy of AMDA)

In Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, a great number of buildings were destroyed. "There were many bodies under the rubble and a fetid smell was in the air," said Nithian Veeravagu, 41, a coordinator for the Association of Medical Doctors in Asia (AMDA), located in the city of Okayama, recalling the shocking scene. He was in Haiti for three weeks from just after the earthquake hit. Sanitary conditions were poor and children often suffered diarrhea.

In Haiti, more 70% of the people live on less than two dollars a day. Before the earthquake, most got by with support from family or friends living in the United States or Canada, or assistance from NGOs. The earthquake has deprived the survivors of their homes and possessions, and fights over food have broken out. Hunger and exhaustion have raised tempers and the security situation is growing worse.

Many of the hospitals collapsed. The hospitals still standing were flooded with patients. However, these hospitals suffer from poor sanitary conditions, and combined with the lack of medicine and equipment, around 4,000 people have faced amputations of their arms or legs due to a fear of infection. AMDA is moving forward with an effort to provide artificial limbs.

Because of these dire conditions, some children have been abused or abandoned by their parents. Many others lost their parents in the earthquake. There are a large number of orphans on the streets and the security situation makes it dangerous for them to be outside.

With the rainy season approaching in Haiti, the situation will become harder for these children. They need to be indoors, with things to play with, such as dolls and crayons. Mr. Veeravagu said, "Sending encouraging words and pictures can help keep their hope alive." (Masahiro Mikoshi, 17)

A mother and her five children--the father died in the earthquake--living under a plastic sheet. (Photo courtesy of Peace Winds Japan)

Mami Mukai, 29, a staff member of Peace Winds Japan, an NGO, was in Port-au-Prince for about three weeks from February 6. She smiled and said, "I grew to like Haiti a lot."

Before traveling there, she had only negative impressions of the country, such as riots and robberies, and Haiti felt like a place far away from her.

In Haiti, she met staff members of local NGOs who lived in a camp with victims of the earthquake and they hadn't eaten for three days. A group of clergymen were providing children with one meal a day. She was surprised at finding in Haiti "the sort of culture, often found in Asia, where people help each other."

Ms. Mukai said that "Haitian children need a shelter, together with their parents, that can protect them from the elements and gives them a place to study." She saw families living under plastic sheets, with no walls. When it rained, they had to sleep standing under the sheet. Peace Winds Japan is trying to provide tents for such families, remove the rubble of the fallen school buildings, and put up large tents to hold classes.

We asked her, "What can Japanese students do for them?" She told us that the security situation makes it dangerous to go there now. However, once the construction of houses starts, volunteers will be needed. She stressed, "Until then, I hope Haiti is not forgotten." (Seira Furukawa, 16)

A playful activity designed to offer care for trauma. (Photo courtesy of Plan Japan)

According to Takayo Kubota, 41, the public relations coordinator for Plan Japan, an NGO, the most serious damage that the earthquake in Haiti inflicted on the children is trauma. If care isn't provided for trauma early on, treatment can be long-lasting. If children grow up struggling with trauma, they may become angry and aggressive adults. Or they might simply shut themselves off from the world and resist communicating with others.

There are two main ways to treat trauma: maintaining a normal lifestyle for the patients and having them engage in activities they find enjoyable. Plan Haiti, Plan Japan's counterpart, is working to rebuild schools in cooperation with the Haitian government. Schools given children a place to interact with other children and feel some relief by connecting with others who are suffering, too.

Plan Japan is also involved in creating play spaces for children. They have already set up one such "space" in the city of Jacmel, in southern Haiti. They are planning to make more of these spaces in other cities.

Plan Haiti and Plan Japan are hoping that the earthquake will offer an opportunity to reflect on the question of what kind of country would be good for children and convey a vision to the adults of Haiti. They formed about 90 "children's clubs" in Haiti prior to the earthquake and are now making use of these clubs for their activities.

The clubs help children understand the measures being taken to respond to the disaster and provide maps of the local areas indicating dangerous locations. When children bring problems to the attention of the staff and area adults, they seek to address the children's concerns.

Ms. Kubota told us, "You should think about what would happen if the same kind of disaster strikes Japan." Reconstruction takes time. She says it's important to show interest in Haiti and talk to those around you about it. (Masaya Obayashi, 13)

The "Volcano Room" includes punching bags for punching and kicking. (Photo by Chisa Nishida, 15)

In Kobe there is a refuge for children who lost their parents to the Great Hanshin Earthquake. This refuge is called Kobe Rainbow House and it was completed in January 1999, four years after the earthquake to provide children with the opportunity to process their feelings.

Kobe Rainbow House was built by a non-profit organization, Ashinaga, to help children who were having difficulty expressing their emotions. The construction costs, 1.4 billion yen, were raised through donations. Ashinaga visited every family impacted by the earthquake and located 573 orphans.

The children who visit Kobe Rainbow House are all orphans. They don't need to feel alone here, as they often do at school. Many of the children see their lives more positively after having the chance to talk about their experiences.

The main activities of Kobe Rainbow House consist of caring for the children's trauma and holding gatherings for the children. For its treatment program, the children are divided into groups by grade and they talk with adult volunteers, "facilitators," about what happened when the earthquake hit and draw pictures of their experiences. The facilitators seek to create an atmosphere where it will be easy for the children to share their thoughts and feelings.

The gatherings include such events as Christmas parties and camping trips. The children's guardians take part in these events, too, and also have the opportunity to let off steam.

Kobe Rainbow House has a variety of unique rooms. The "Volcano Room" is equipped with punching bags for the children to punch and kick in order to relieve stress. The walls and floors of this room are made of soft material. In the "Art Room," children who aren't able to express their feelings well in words can show their emotions through drawing pictures and making crafts. Right after the earthquake, many of the children tended to use black in their pictures, but as a result of the care they have received, they came to create pictures with brighter colors.

Another room is called the "Heart Room" where children can cry alone as much as they need without being disturbed. The "Talking Room" has a circular sofa to see everyone's face and offers a lot of stuffed animals to create a cheerful atmosphere.

The director, Makoto Tomioka, 45, has observed about 200 children so far. He said with a smile, "The children's trauma was even deeper than expected. I can feel their growth when a child who once came here almost every day has started coming less often. It's a satisfying feeling." (Shiori Kosaka,14)

A university student (right) talks about her memories of the earthquake and her current life. (Photo by Shiori Kosaka,14)

A female university student, 22, who lost her mother and older brother to the Great Hanshin Earthquake, is now studying hard to become a midwife. "I could have been killed myself," she said. "I feel blessed that I survived. So I want to do some kind of work that holds life precious." I was impressed by her passion.

When she was in second grade in elementary school, she spoke about her experience of the earthquake as a first-grader at a gathering where people talked about their lost loved ones. "I cried when I was talking about it," she said. "But I felt a lot of relief, too." She added that giving expression to her feelings has enabled her to talk about the experience more calmly now.

The "Heart Room" where children can be alone with their thoughts. Sunshine streams softly through a skylight in the ceiling. (Photo by Chisa Nishida,15)

She visited Kobe Rainbow House for three years after it was opened. "I felt comfortable there, having friends who had the same sort of experience," she said.

She now spends time there as a student volunteer, listening to the children's stories. "Even a shy child or a noisy child has the power to talk about themselves openly," she said. It's vital to provide an opportunity for the children to express themselves, she added. (Chisa Nishida, 15)