“This is the major reason why we encourage parents to join their children at the temporary care centres in makeshift camps. We believe that parents and children need to remain together during such difficult times,” says Uma Ghimire, director at the Divyankar Child Development, Promotion and Research Centre.

The organisation has been running a child care centre at Narayanhiti grounds post the May 12 aftershock. According to Ghimire, parents need to be in control of their emotions in order to handle their children during calamities. And for that, it’s really important that they share their own troubles and fears.

“Many parents shout at their children because they are tense and stressed out. But this kind of behaviour has a negative effect on the little ones,” says Ghimire, who has been conducting sharing and counselling sessions for parents along with their children.

Dr Arun Kunwar, a child psychiatrist, says that it’s very important for children to lead their lives in a systematic and organised manner. When calamities such as earthquakes occur, they totally disrupt the regular routine that children are accustomed to. Particularly in camp settings, where people don’t have a fixed time and a proper place to eat and sleep, it becomes difficult for those children who have grown up in secure and protected surroundings to adjust.   

“It’s natural for children to feel confused and out of place when they are forced to live in camps. But it’s up to the adults to play a supportive role under such circumstances and make them understand that it’s just a normal phase in life and there is nothing to be worried about,” he explains.

Vestiges of normalcy have seeped into makeshift camps for earthquake survivors in the form of child friendly spaces. These are specified areas within the camp periphery where children belonging to different age groups can indulge in various activities according to their interest and abilities. These temporary classes are run from morning to evening on the basis of simple routines prepared by volunteer teachers.

Navin Bajracharya, Deputy Director at the SOS Children’s Villages, has been running child care centres in Harisiddhi, Lalitpur. These centres have been very helpful for those parents who don’t wish to have their children around while they carry out the task of excavating their belongings buried under the rubble. “Every child has his/her own coping mechanism. The most important thing is to give them time to accept their situation. Even if a child gets unreasonably scared or difficult, parents should have the patience to understand that their behaviour is normal in an abnormal situation,” says Bajracharya.

At the SOS children’s centre, children are given a chance to vent out their pent-up emotions through drawing, painting, artwork, elocution and writing. Bajracharya believes that catharsis can play a significant role in helping a child (or an adult) deal with any kind of trauma.

“When we are burdened with worries and responsibilities, we hardly have any time to listen to our children. But we must always remember that regardless of the circumstances, we, as parents, should always find time to listen to our children and eliminate their fears and confusions,” he says.

It has often been found that children of different age groups react differently to disastrous situations. Their level of understanding brings such variations in their perspectives. For instance, smaller children are scared and vulnerable while teenagers are more inclined toward feeling depressed and suicidal.

Sita Ram Parajuli, a teacher from Panauti, has been travelling all the way to Tundikhel in order to tell stories and spend some time with the earthquake affected children residing there. Furthermore, he has also been taking extra classes for academically poor students, who will be appearing for their SLC examinations at the end of this academic session.

“Young people are full of energy, but at the same time, they are also strongly driven by emotions. We, as adults, need to forget our own stress and fear in order to give them a reason to believe that they can still have a bright future,” he says.

After such a massive disaster like the Big Quake, it’s only natural for the children of all age groups to feel disturbed. Some who have witnessed houses collapsing may have trouble sleeping or even show reluctance to enter their classrooms. Therefore, it’s also equally important that teachers and school management are well equipped to deal with such behaviours. Teachers, above all, must be trained to keep their own traumatic memories in check and handle these children who have been through so much psychological stress. .

“We have been organising teacher-training sessions in different schools because we feel the need to educate them regarding post-earthquake classroom techniques,” says Dr Kunwar.

According to him, if parents and teachers are able to listen to their children and pay attention to their psychological and emotional needs at this stage, many children will be able to save themselves from the clutches of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental issues.

“Right now it’s very important that children trust their teachers and family members because that’s the best way in which they can move on,” he says.

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