Rebecca Olul
Imagine the foundations of the earth, usually stable and predictable, shaking violently without any ability to stop it. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?
This was the experience of 17-year-old Tevalyn, 16-year-old Sunami, and many other children on the island of Efate, Vanuatu, on December 17, 2024, when a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the island.
The memories of the earthquake remain vivid. Tevalyn’s eyes widened as she recounted her experience.
Now, six months later, both Tevalyn and Sunami are well on their way to recovery.
“I listen to music and talk with my neighbors and friends to help me forget the memories of the earthquake,” Tevalyn shared.
“Now I feel less afraid, and my friends and church have helped me,” said Sunami.
When the I Support My Friends programme was introduced in schools, they both decided to become peer supporters to help other children cope with the aftermath of the earthquake at their school, Malapoa College, one of the more earthquake-devastated schools. “When I help my friends, it teaches me to handle my own problems,” said Tevalyn.
Sunami wanted to support young people dealing with stress and anxiety, saying, “I want to gain skills to help others.”
Through church programmes, Tevalyn encourages friends during tough times, while Sunami listens and refers them to their school counselor when needed. Both have been through the I Support My Friends training on psychological first aid, and empowered to – with support from their school counselor – identify and help friends in distress.
Tevalyn dreams of one day becoming a surgeon and Sunami aspires to be a doctor. Both see I Support My Friends as a valuable opportunity to develop important skills for their future.
After the earthquake, UNICEF, in collaboration with Ministries of Education and Training, Health, and Justice, Youth and Community Services and civil society partners, such as, the Oceania Football Confederation and World Vision, provided immediate psychosocial support through play-based approaches. This included much needed group and individual counseling to 2,000 children and trained over 60 teachers and counselors in earthquake-affected schools on mental health and psychosocial support and child counselling.
With funding from the Pacific Regional Education Framework and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, and in collaboration with the Vanuatu Ministries of Education and Training and Health, UNICEF is rolling out I Support My Friends in schools, where trained children aged 9 to 17 will assist their peers in distress, guided by the psychological first aid principles of LOOK, LISTEN, and LINK. This initiative emphasizes the role of children in being empowered to support one another safely, under adult supervision.