Page 19 - IB February 2025

Education Education

depression threatened to develop into a cyclone.
“We had to stop the setup and take down all the tents to
avoid damage,” Durpaire recalled.
Despite these setbacks, the team eventually succeeded in
erecting 50 tents, ensuring that students had a safe place to
continue their studies.
The collaboration was made possible by the pre-positioned
emergency supplies and financial support from partners such
as the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
According to Durpaire, the tents were not only a temporary
measure but also a vital part of the broader strategy to
restore some sense of normalcy to affected communities.
“The rapid deployment of these temporary learning spaces
was a lifeline for many children, ensuring they could continue
their education and heal from the trauma.”

Prioritising mental health and emotional well-being
UNICEF has been working alongside other organisations
to provide psychosocial support to children, teachers, and
caregivers.
“We started training teachers and different stakeholders
on how to recognise and address mental health issues among
children,” he explained.
Save the Children Vanuatu reinforced this approach: “We A student of Survival school looks on as UNICEF staff and Red Cross volunteers set
are committed to providing children with a safe space to talk up temporary classrooms at Survival School
about their experiences and provide ongoing mental health
support as part of their recovery.” overstated.
According to Durpaire, 90% of children exposed to trauma “Children will recover faster when their families and
can recover with proper emotional support from teachers, communities are involved in the healing process,” Durpaire
parents, and the community. said.
“The key is providing them with a safe space to express “Families in Vanuatu showed immense resilience in the face
their feelings and ensuring they have a strong support of adversity.
network,” Durpaire emphasised. “When children see their parents coping with the situation,
It mirrors and builds on responses to earlier disasters. it helps them feel more secure,” Durpaire added.
In Fiji, Cyclone Yasa in 2020 damaged schools, and many
children were forced to cope with the trauma of losing homes Building resilience for future disasters
and loved ones. Although the immediate response to the earthquake in
As infrastructure repairs got underway, teachers were Vanuatu has been successful, Durpaire pointed out that long-
also trained in psychosocial support, with a focus on helping term recovery and resilience are ongoing challenges.
children process their trauma and return to their studies. UNICEF is working with local authorities to improve the
Likewise, after Tonga’s volcanic eruption and tsunami in resilience of schools, ensuring that they can withstand future
2022, the Tongan Ministry of Education worked closely with earthquakes, cyclones, and other natural disasters.
UNICEF to set up temporary learning spaces and to provide This approach is also evident in the wider Pacific region,
psychological first aid to children who had been impacted by where the frequency and intensity of natural disasters are
the disaster. expected to increase due to climate change. But progress can
After the volcanic eruption, UNICEF and the University of be slow. In Nabavatu, Fiji, families are still living in tents,
the South Pacific’s Institute of Education, in partnership with and children schooling in them more than three years after
USAID, carried out mental health psychosocial support training a cyclone destroyed their village. Poor living conditions have
for teachers across Tonga. led to a range of health and sanitaton problems, although a
The training, conducted over one and a half months, relocation plan has been developed.
enabled teachers to welcome students and make them feel For Vanuatu, the focus now is on repairing damaged
safe in schools. infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems in
schools, and continuing to provide psychosocial support to
The role of communities and families children.
While governments and international organisations play an “It’s important that we don’t just provide temporary
essential role in restoring children’s education and mental solutions but ensure that these children have a future,”
health, the role of families and local communities cannot be Durpaire said.

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