The Horror of 2004 Remembered

Five years on and we still remember Boxing Day 2004 with shock. On that   disastrous day, the Asian Tsunami hit the Sri Lankan coast and in that region alone, 30,000 people lost their lives and thousands of families had their homes and livelihoods destroyed. 

With only three weeks in the role as chief executive of ChildFund New Zealand, Paul Brown faced the task of mobilising his team for the biggest natural disaster in recent history.

“Although it was hard to appreciate the scale of the disaster at first, we knew the need was going to be critical and we had to act immediately. We activated our 0800 emergency number and launched an appeal within 24 hours of the emergency.”

ChildFund Sri Lanka was the first aid agency on the scene. Within hours of the tsunami in Sri Lanka, ChildFund staff emptied the local hardware stores of spades and other equipment and drove out of town towards the coast, against the traffic fleeing the disaster zone.

“The information coming from the mainstream media was sketchy for several days, but through our colleagues in the field we were quickly able to ascertain the magnitude of this disaster and where we needed to best target our assistance,” says Mr Brown.

“The tsunami devastated the entire region with massive loss of life and the vast damage to infrastructure was abrupt and immediate, people lost everything.” 

“As a child-focused agency our challenge was to assist the most vulnerable, and in any disaster this is always the children. In practice, that meant making children physically safe, so the concept of Child Centred Spaces was established as a response to the aftermath of the tsunami.”

Child Centred Spaces are chosen for their central location and high level of safety. These are supervised places for children to go to where they can receive food and healthcare and begin to experience some normalcy, through play-activities and informal education.

These spaces are a critical tool for helping children in crisis where the psychological impact of a large scale disaster cannot be underestimated.

“Typically, around 1 in 8 children of a disaster-affected population will express mental disorders that require intensive specialist care. However what most children need is not therapy, but community-based activities that help to restore their sense of safety, connection to caring adults, and hope for the future.

“Simple games and singing can be used to see how children are coping. It’s amazing to witness how strong and resilient and children are when times are tough.”

In the aftermath of the tsunami, New Zealanders donated a total of more than $25 million. As well as creating Child Centred Spaces, the sum donated to ChildFund was also used to provide safe water storage containers, connect houses to water distribution systems and provide rainwater harvesting tanks.

One hundred days after the tsunami, Paul Brown visited the projects established by ChildFund in Sri Lanka.
“It was the best we could hope for. Despite the scale of the damage, it was wonderful to see how New Zealanders’ generosity was actively translated into comprehensive programmes that helped children and families cope.”

ENDS

For more information or interviews, please contact:
Kiri Carter, Communications Manager, DDI: 09 366 2276, Mobile: 027 255 4391, Email: kiri@childfund.org.nz
or    
Paul Brown, Chief Executive, DDI: 09 966 0864, Mobile: 027 556 6196, Email: paul@childfund.org.nz

About ChildFund New Zealand

ChildFund New Zealand is a member of the ChildFund Alliance, an international child development organisation with 70 years of experience helping the world’s neediest children, which works in 53 countries, assisting 15 million children and family members regardless of race, creed or gender.

ChildFund New Zealand works for the well-being of children by supporting locally led initiatives that strengthen families and communities, helping them overcome poverty and protect the rights of their children.

ChildFund’s comprehensive programmes incorporate health, education, nutrition and livelihood interventions that sustainably protect, nurture and develop children. ChildFund works in any environment where poverty, conflict and disaster threaten the well-being of children.

About Paul Brown

A long term child sponsor Paul Brown joined ChildFund New Zealand as its chief executive in December 2004. Paul has always focused on helping children in need, including volunteering on Radio Lollipop at Starship Children’s Hospital for more than five years. Prior to his current role, Paul spent 15 years in sales and marketing management roles in the automotive and financial services industries.

He has recently been appointed chairman for the Council for International Development (CID), the national umbrella organisation for 94 international aid and development organisations based in New Zealand.