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Red Cross Programs Help Rebuild After Tsunami
Amanda Mark, Special to RedCross.org
Friday, February 11, 2005 — After the devastating tsunami roared through the Indian Ocean and struck the Maldives in December, community leaders gathered to decide what assistance would help their cluster of islands get back on their collective feet.
As with other nations affected by the tsunami, this island community had never suffered such a severe natural calamity and community leaders were extremely concerned about the resiliency of its residents. So the American Red Cross sent Joseph Prewitt-Diaz, MD, PhD, an American Red Cross psychosocial delegate, and his team to help.
American Red Cross psychologist Anjana Dhayal helps the children to blow sad feelings away during a training program in the Meemo Atoll, Maldives. Photo courtesy J. Prewitt-Diaz. |
Prewitt-Diaz coordinated with the local officials, teachers and a team of Red Cross workers to develop an effective, culturally appropriate psychosocial program in the Maldives, incorporating local languages and customs. Psychosocial programs assess and address the mental and social wellbeing of residents after a disaster.
The two-pronged program developed in the Maldives focuses on providing community support for families who can then support their children, and providing assistance in the schools for teachers and students.
In early January, shortly after the tsunami destroyed the islands, a training course for counselors and teachers began. Three American Red Cross workers who had previously worked in India on a psychosocial project led classrooms of 20 professionals at a time. These professionals included Maldivian volunteers who traversed the island cluster using their newfound skills and meeting with tsunami survivors.
Amongst Maldivian households, mothers are responsible for the family. “We’re trying to provide support to the family through the mother,” said Prewitt-Diaz. “We work with local women’s groups that are active in the community. We also work to help with income-generating activities for the family.”
Prewitt-Diaz listed examples of typical moneymaking ventures such as sewing, rug-weaving and lace-making. “We’ve found that if you provide support to the mother, the children tend to be healthier, stay in school longer, and have an overall better outlook on life. This definitely seems to be true in the Maldives as well.”
The American Red Cross in conjunction with local leaders developed a pamphlet for families titled, “Communities from Crisis to Recovery,” which takes tsunami survivors through a series of enabling steps that create leadership capabilities.
The second prong of the psychosocial plan – training teachers – was requested by the Maldivian Ministry of Education. American Red Cross workers trained six local teachers who then traveled with the Red Cross workers from island to island – instructing teachers how to listen to children.
Maldivian schools are very traditional, according to Prewitt-Diaz. “The teacher teaches and the child listens. So we’re trying to reverse that and create an atmosphere where the teacher listens and is more interactive.”
The Red Cross school program encourages expressive activities in the schools such as plays, sculpting clay and drawing. School kits filled with tools for this program were delivered to most islands – via plane and speedboat.
Prewitt-Diaz says that they’ve reached all but five islands in the Maldives and they hope to train teachers in all islands by the end of February.
Maldivians have had incredibly positive reactions to the psychosocial program.
“It’s a testament to the American Red Cross that this program not only serves the United States during disasters, but that it can be used throughout the world,” said Prewitt-Diaz.
While based on existing American Red Cross texts, Prewitt-Diaz is heartened that Maldivians are beginning to own the program as it is tailored to their culture. “It originally was the American Red Cross program, but in the last few weeks, I’ve started to hear ‘our program,’ which is incredibly important to its success,” he reiterated.
Most important, Prewitt-Diaz sees the program as a tangible way that American Red Cross donations are assisting a nation in need. “In every school that I have visited, the smiles and thank you’s of kids and teachers are not a thank you to me, but a thank you to the American Red Cross and the public who so graciously donated funds.”
To date, more than 13,200 people have been assisted with the Maldives psychosocial program. Sixty-two counselors and 160 teachers are currently leading the training and classes across the islands.
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