Tsunami? Earthquake? This Indonesian teen is prepared!

Anastasia, a 16-year-old from the Indonesian island of Flores had the honor of being the youngest keynote speaker at two events aimed at helping communities be better prepared for natural disasters. Last week, Anastasia attended the 2012 International Day for Disaster Reduction and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Day for Disaster Management in Bangkok.

She was asked to participate at the events, not only because of her age, but also because of her tenacious work to increase children`s awareness of the hazards of natural disasters. “I live in a very vulnerable area, where there are many hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions,” she says. “Here, as in most other places, children are the most vulnerable group when these natural disasters take place. Children need to be educated to understand the hazards and respond to the risks.”

Anastasia, who has been sponsored through ChildFund since she was 8 years old, has been involved in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) trainings for the last two years. During this time, she has completed three DRR courses and basic first aid.

In 2010, Anastasia`s interests led her to join the Youth Forum for DRR in Flores. She became a youth facilitator and coordinated the youth group`s participation in a national tsunami drill, an exercise led by the National Disaster Management Agency. This experience and her previous trainings prepared Anastasia well for her speech in Bangkok.

“ChildFund trained me well and really supported me in learning about DRR along with other youth in Flores. I know what to do in emergency situations and can spread that knowledge to people around me,” she says.

“The greatest benefit in joining this conference is that I`ve been able to meet many people who work in DRR in other ASEAN countries. They have all increased my understanding of DRR.”

As the keynote, Anastasia spoke about her experiences in helping children and youth understand the hazards of natural disasters. She discussed the challenges of developing action plans in schools and participated in a focus group discussion on encouraging youth (particularly girls) to become more involved in DRR activities in their neighborhoods.

One of Anastasia`s proudest moments was reading the “Women`s Declaration” statement. In fact, her efforts to include the issues of gender and youth in DRR conversations earned an award by ASEAN and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

“I am very happy. I am so proud and amazed, that I can be here to meet, speak and discuss with professionals who have long experiences in disaster risk reduction,” she says. “In media interviews, I can show that I can do something to aid DRR efforts in Indonesia.”

Anastasia is currently preparing for her final school exams. In her free time, she and her friends conduct capacity and vulnerability analyses to help youth develop action plans in preparation for natural disasters.

“My hope is that DRR training can start at Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers so that children receive the training they need and will know what to do and not panic when a crisis hits.”

Currently, ChildFund Indonesia is working to add disaster risk reduction training as a component of the ECD program. With these trainings, young children and their mothers will have greater awareness and knowledge of ways to cope in the event of a disaster and will be more empowered to bring positive change to their communities, as Anastasia is doing in Flores.