Children’s voices for Disaster Risk Reduction

Based on several consultation processes with Children and Youth in Asia Pacific region through our network of National Offices, World Vision International would like to convey Children and Youth messages to Governments and concerned duty bearers:

1. A child’s life consists of many aspects. A child-centered disaster risk assessment should cover the aspects that influence a child’s life. It spans various sectors. Therefore, in a child-centered risk assessment need to cover those sectors, at least, so that it can be addressed through a more holistic development plan and implementation that integrates risk management. The minimum sector that need to collaborate and be coordinated to develop a joint risk assessment and development plan are: education, health, public work, social welfare, planning agency and national disaster management office. Cross-collaboration should happen for example:

  • Between the ministries of public works and education in the provision of safe school facilities, effective and adequate warning signage, designated facilities for temporary schools
  • Between the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and other ministries to strengthen sectoral disaster preparedness and response
  • Between the NDMO and Social Welfare to address the socially vulnerable group and the children with different abilities
  • Between the National Planning Commission and the implementing ministries, to ensure the integration of DRR in the development plan

2. There should be a set of minimum standards to achieve in the disaster risk governance:

  • Effective early warning system and warning signage
  • Disaster Risk Assessment to be addressed by Development Plan that integrates DRR
  • Regulation and reinforcement of regulation on School Safety
  • Awareness-raising on disaster risks and risk reduction

3. Understanding disaster risks and how to address them are essential. Children recommend and are willing to be the communicators to disseminate the information using various communication avenues such as video, books, posters, social media. The awareness raising will only be effective if it is followed by drills and disaster simulation, to build their skills and strengthen knowledge of risk reduction.

4. Protection is critical for children:

  • Boys and girls’ access to their basic services such as health and education needs to be protected. The resume of safe learning process and health services immediately after disaster events need to happen.
  • Boys and girls are protected against any forms of violence that may increase in the events of disasters and displacements.
  • Boys and girls have access to basic life needs such as food, safe water, and prevented from communicable diseases.

5. Children and youth are not the subject of DRR work. They strongly believe that they are able to contribute and be very tactical in:

  • The data collection using free and open source software for hazard, vulnerability, capacity assessments to do risk assessment and analysis.
  • Become peer educators for disaster risk awareness and education
  • Provision of alternative points of view to adults in the development planning that will be used to develop community DRR action plan.
  • Promotion and dissemination of educational DRR messages using social media platform