Canadian Red Cross supports Nepalese children who have suffered through two earthquakes

Guest post by France Hurtubise, Canadian Red Cross communications delegate in Nepal
 
A group of very lively Nepalese children are sitting inside a Canadian Red Cross tent. They are, as always, smiling and seemingly peaceful though it is hard to see into the minds of such young people who have just lived through two earthquakes. Some have lost part of their house, or lost contact with members of their family, or maybe lost a friend.
 
For the moment, a couple of dozen dark and shiny eyes are quietly scanning cards they are holding in their hands. Each card bears a message of hope and friendship. “Hope you are well”, “Thinking of you”. Those cards have travelled half way around the world, from Victoria, British Columbia, to Dhunche, Nepal. From sea level all the way up to this magical place where one can see the eternal snows on some of the mightiest peaks of the Himalayas.
 
“My son Elliott attends Victor Brodeur School in Victoria,” said Lise Anne Pierce, a Canadian aid worker in Nepal with IFRC. “When his teacher found out that I would be deploying to Nepal, she asked her grade 5 class to write cards that I could take with me and share with children here. Just to let them know that in Canada, so many people are thinking of them and supporting them from a distance.”

The psycho-social program for children in Dhunche is carried out in cooperation with the IFRC and the Nepalese Red Cross. Photo credit: France Hurtubise/Canadian Red Cross 
 

The tent the children are in, next to the health post in Dhunche, has been set-up specifically for Nepalese children on a narrow plateau on the side of a mountain. Inside, there are toys and activities, and a trained Red Cross volunteer to accompany them throughout the day. It is all part of a recognized International Red Cross program named Psychological Social Services (PSS) which supports victims psychologically, fosters child protection, and prevents gender-based violence. The delegate in charge of the program, Angelo Leo, sums up the number one priority in Dhunche as getting life back to normal again before the approaching monsoon.
 
Angelo has one thing in common with the children he is trying to help. Like them, he has lived through both earthquakes. A resident of Vancouver, he happened to be on vacation in Nepal for a three-day meditation retreat when the first quake struck. On the internet, he saw the urgent appeal from the Canadian Red Cross for delegates to set up a field hospital. Angelo, a nurse specializing in community mental health, didn’t have to think twice. “You can count me in,” he wrote. “I’m already there!”
 
When he arrived in Dhunche with the Canadian Red Cross team, wanting to reach the children who might have been traumatized by the earthquakes and recurrent tremors, Angelo organized a two-day training session for the teachers from six local schools, and for Red Cross volunteers. The main subjects were: stress and coping, grief and loss, psychological first aid, and community-based support.

Participants in the training session led by Canadian Red Cross delegate Angelo Leo (second from the left, bottom row). Photo credit: France Hurtubise/Canadian Red Cross

Achok Garong, Nepalese coordinator for one of the Highlands Elementary School, was instrumental in the organization of the training, gathering the teachers from Dhunche and neighbouring villages. When the second earthquake struck, Garong focused on techniques taught during training: “We put in practice what we had just learned during the day. It worked. We told the children to stay calm, and they did.”
 
The program is carried out in cooperation with the IFRC and the Nepalese Red Cross. The primary focus is on children and teens. A helpline was installed to respond to their needs.
 
Today, the young Nepalese are somewhat puzzled by the cards with messages in English from a country they have never imagined hearing from, and even less linking with. And who knows, when the immediate crisis has passed, they may want to reply.
 
Canadians are encouraged to donate to the Nepal Region Earthquake Fund. Until May 25th, the government of Canada will match eligible donations.

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