FEATURE: Two Eastern Samar kids meet Indonesian president, queen

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Two children from Eastern Samar had the rare chance of discussing disaster risk reduction and climate change with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Yogyakarta Queen Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hemas during the 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia last October 23 to 25. 

The two, 14-year-old Mark from Oras, Eastern Samar and 16-year-old Thania from Llorente, Eastern Samar were among the 18 children-representatives from Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Japan who attended the conference and the side event on Children’s Participation in Safe school and Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mark presented the Child-centered Disaster Risk Reduction activities he actively engaged in at their town with the help of Plan International, a development organization with programs for children. He was the leader of the so called “texter clan,” which maximizes the use of text messaging in sending disaster-related information and typhoon updates to friends.

Mark, in sharing with President Yudhoyono his personal experiences during disasters and the activities undertaken by the community, underscored that disaster is aggravating the problem related to trafficking to the affected areas. He handed the president a copy of the Children’s Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The sharing took place, after the president graced the formal opening of the conference, at a booth set up by Plan International and other international NGOs.

During the side event the day after, Mark met and discussed with Margareta Walstrom, head of the Geneva-based United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the principle of child protection in schools and that education must not be interrupted as a result of disasters.

“The important message I am hearing from you today is that you are ready to participate not just in planning disaster risk reduction activity but also in implementation and you have many concrete ideas. I thank you all for your contribution,” Wahlstrom told Mark.

Meanwhile, Thania, Mark and 16 other children from Asia-Pacific countries also meet Queen Hemas who in turn told them: “It’s important to change information and share knowledge among children and between children and adults so we as adult will continuously listen to and respect children’s voice in DRR.”

Thania shared with the Queen her experiences as a child leader involved in facilitating children’ sessions in the barangays about DRR and climate change concepts. “Children have the capacity and potential to adapt with their environment, to learn faster about information technology and to manage information and use it for their benefit to be more resilient in coping with disaster,” the Queen responded.

Mark and Thania successfully blended with other Asian child leaders in order to get the attention of the conference delegates who were composed of ministers, government officials and representatives from the Asia-Pacific region. The young Eastern Samarnons had an advantage because they were the only children-participants who can speak English, according to Sandee Saavedra and Baltz Tribunalo of Plan International.

The Children’s Charter on DRR, which the two handed to the guests, was a five-point action agenda for children by children, and has been developed through consultations with more than 600 children in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The five actions points are: 1) schools must be safe and education must not be interrupted; 2) child protection must be a priority before, during and after a disaster; 3) children have the right to participate and to access the information they need; 4) community infrastructure must be safe, and relief and reconstruction must help reduce future risk; and 5) disaster risk reduction must reach the most vulnerable. —(FREEMAN)