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Summary: Engaging with children in disaster response, recovery and risk reduction: Learning from children’s participation in the tsunami response.
One size does not fit all: it's time to stop imposing and start involving To be most effective, agencies need to involve local children and adults in disaster relief and reconstruction Agencies providing relief and reconstruction after the tsunami should have done more to involve children in the process, according to Plan’s study 'Children and the tsunami'. The typical 'one size fits all' approach consistently fails to consult or involve children, which in turn leads to less informed and often less sustainable solutions. Governments and aid agencies failed to involve children during last year’s tsunami relief effort, and instead imposed imported solutions on them. Yet, Plan's 69-years of experience in running development programmes, has shown that this 'we know what's best' approach is the least effective way to deliver long-term benefit. Involving children should be an integral part of the relief effort. The main reason for the lack of children's involvement was the need for efficiency and speed of delivery. However, ignoring children’s energy, strength, and optimism was a missed opportunity, and may have actually prolonged the suffering. Plan CEO, Tom Miller said: "The argument that there isn’t time to consult children in disaster situations just doesn’t work. Children and young people are often stronger, better educated, more adaptable, and more optimistic than adults. Children are a valuable and willing resource, not defenceless and vulnerable victims, and it’s time the international community recognised that." While Plan consulted children on longer term recovery efforts like housing and schools, it like other agencies could have been quicker at consulting and involving them during the initial disaster response. For future disasters, a fundamental shift in attitude and approach towards involving children in emergency situations is needed to reduce their impact. Active involvement in reconstruction is an essential part of the recovery process for traumatised children. Michael Diamond, Plan’s Asia Regional Director said: “It’s time to stop imposing and start involving. We have a duty to protect the interests of the children and their communities in times of disaster. How can we do that without asking them what they need or think, and without involving them?” The tsunami and recent earthquake in Pakistan are now driving international agencies and governments to establish functioning disaster risk reduction strategies. Plan urges them to make children’s involvement a core element of these strategies and not to let another opportunity slip away.