Working with children in disasters

It's invaluable to involve children in the process of rebuilding after disasters.

Half of the people affected by disasters in developing countries are children. While they comprise many of the most vulnerable, they can make a powerful contribution to recovery.

An estimated 77,000,000 children under 15, on average, had their lives disrupted either by disasters or an armed conflict, every year during the 1990s. 

Millions of children were made homeless, lost loved ones, received injuries, witnessed or experienced violence and suffered scarring psychological traumas. Over the same period, an estimated 115,000 children under 15 were killed each year by armed conflict or disasters.

As human tragedies unfold they capture the public's imagination and the attention of the world's media. But what happens after the cameras have gone? Plan is not a relief organisation, but we have a mandate to help the communities we work with when disasters strike.

Rebuilding lives

We assist people during the difficult times, providing and coordinating materials, skills and knowledge to help them to rebuild their lives.

We work in partnership. Local people, parents and children, teach us how we can best provide meaningful support to them, focusing not just on their immediate needs, but also their future progression.

Plan report

In After the cameras have gone, we report on our experience of looking after children in the aftermath of disasters. We look at long-term development in countries beset by natural and man-made disasters.

Our experience of working with children throughout the developing world indicates that children have much to offer in the process of rebuilding communities, much more than adults expect.

This report makes recommendations for organisations involved in disaster situations to help ensure children's rights are met during the emergency and beyond.

Learn how Plan's Universal Birth Registration campaign is helping children in disasters.