When a natural disaster occurs, like the recent earthquake devastation in Haiti, it is hard to wrap my brain around it as an adult and a parent. Not only does it give me pause, I do wonder what my nine-year-old daughter thinks. You might ask how she would even know about such a thing. I do admit that I flip on the television in the morning to catch the weather and traffic before heading out to school. Many times, I am not quick enough to press the mute button on the remote, and my daughter hears something that requires some explaining. Televisions aside, kids are super good at eavesdropping and will overhear parents’ conversations, older siblings, or classmates talking at school.
What I have decided is this: not only is there a way to explain natural disasters to our kids, there are also ways to involve them in the relief efforts. The “how” and “when” of explaining depends, of course, on the make-up of your individual kid and his or her age. But just today, I found a useful blog from the United Nations World Food Programme (www.wfp.org/students-and-teachers) that gives straightforward facts and information and tells it like it is without gory details or sugar-coating (which many kids resent). Here’s a snippet: “A powerful earthquake, measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck Haiti… The quake destroyed buildings and left a large number of people homeless. The death toll is unknown, but it is feared to be high with many people injured. Streets are blocked by rubble rendering rescue and assistance efforts difficult. The people in Haiti need your help.” In talking with my daughter, I might choose to focus on there being “many injured” rather than discussing a “death toll.” But my point is that I was grateful to find this resource (written with youth in mind) to help guide my conversation.
So, once you have explained the situation to your kids, how can they help when disaster strikes? First and foremost, Haiti needs monetary donations according to numerous disaster relief organizations. (Down the road, food and clothing donations may be encouraged.) Consider these suggestions:
1. Get online and visit any of the reputable organizations listed below to make a donation. Have your kid(s) sit with you and be part of the donation process.
2. Raise funds together to donate. If your kid(s) are motivated along these lines, you can discuss ways to raise money (from bake sales to making and selling greeting cards to car washing).
3. Purchase products that support the relief effort. One website (www.atriskchildren.org), has t-shirts and hats for purchase and donates a portion of their sales to Haiti relief efforts. In addition, organizations like UNICEF have an “Inspired Gifts” section on their website (http://inspiredgifts.unicef.org) where you can purchase medical, food, school supplies and more. You can even dedicate the purchase to a friend or in your kid’s name. (UNICEF will direct your purchase to the country in greatest need at that time.)
4. Sponsor a child. After the critical relief efforts have occurred, many families are still in dire straights. Consider sponsoring a child in the country where the disaster occurred. Several wonderful organizations make sponsorship easy and fulfilling: Children’s International (www.children.org) and World Vision (www.worldvision.org) are two. Your kids can go online with you and help identify the child you would like sponsor. (We keep a photo of Sandra, the girl we sponsor, in our kitchen as well as exchange letters!)
There’s no question that natural disasters are heart wrenching. Rather than shy away from the topic, consider taking a moment to educate your kids and involve them in a positive way. What do you think? I’d enjoy hearing from you!
You can make donations through any of these organizations that support the disaster relief efforts in Haiti:
www.Cidi.org
www.Interaction.org
www.Globalgiving.org
www.Panamericanrelief.org
www.Unicefusa.org
www.Mercycorps.org
www.Redcross.org
www.Doctorswithoutborders.org
www.SavetheChildren.org
www.Directrelief.org
www.Childfund.org
www.Worldvision.org
www.americares.org
www.pih.org
©YesKidzCan!, 2010.
been helping. We all can’t possibly support every situation. Sadly, there have been far too many tragedies. But I have found that if we talk about the kind things other people or groups have been doing, that helps us feel closer to the hope surrounding the disaster rather than the devastation itself.
