In The Face of Disaster -A Teaching Activity by laurie delgatto

In the Face of Disaster

In t his a c t iv it y, the participants explore why disasters that occur in developing countries are so overwhelming. time required: 60 minutes

Mat er ial s N eed ed

INT E ND E D F O R G R A D E S 6 - 8

» six slips of paper with one of the following terms written on each: Food, Shelter, Health care, Education, Friends and Support, and Work » a sheet of newsprint, on it write the following list: Food, Shelter, Health care, Education, Friends and Support, and Work; Post the list where all can see » a marker » a roll of masking tape » about 100 sheets of blank paper and a bag or box (Before beginning the activity, make about 100 paper airlines. Keep them hidden from the participants by placing them in the bag or box.) » two stacks of blank paper (about 25 sheets in each) » sheets of lined paper, one for each small group of four or five » pens or pencils, one for each small group of four or five

Activity Steps Inv i t e s i x v o l unt eer s to come forward to display these needs in order of importance.

Ask the volunteers to each pick up a slip of paper with a need written on it and then stand in a line from left to right with the most important need on the left side, the least important on the right, and everything else in between.

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N o w br i e f ly introduce the Asian tsunami, the China earthquake, or another disaster. Ask the

participants which need was jeopardized most for those who were affected by the disaster. Invite six new volunteers to come forward and stand in a “needs” line, using the natural disaster as a basis for the order of the needs. A s k t he pa rt i c i pa nt s how many of the needs on the list are met for them every day. Do

they take it for granted? Explain that we can all help when disasters strike, through our prayers and through giving. Di v ide t he l a r ge gr o up into three teams—teams A, B, and C. Then divide the room in

half by making a line on the floor with the masking tape. Note the following: » Team A will inhabit one half of the room, and team B will have the other half. » Team C will sit on the sidelines watching.

Gather the members of team C and provide them with the bag or box of airplanes. Quietly note that they are to open the bag or box when you give them a signal, and then they are to start flying the planes into team B’s territory until the bag is empty. Note that they are to throw the planes into team B’s space only. Giv e t e a m A a nd t ea m B a stack of blank sheets of paper. Give them five minutes to make

as many paper airplanes as they can. Once the five minutes are up, explain the following: » The aim of the game is for each team to throw all the paper airplanes in their half of the room into the opposing team’s territory. » When a plane lands in a team’s territory, that team must throw the plane back. » You need to be careful not to hurt anyone, so it is best to throw the airplanes toward the ground rather than at a person. » You will have a five-minute time limit.

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» The number of planes in each half of the room will then be counted. The team with the fewest planes will be the winner. Inv i t e t h e t e a ms t o b egin. After three minutes, give the signal to Team C. For the last two minutes of the game, team B will be overwhelmed with airplanes and won’t be able to keep up! Call time at the end of two minutes and give everyone a chance to catch their breath. Count the airplanes on each side. Team B should have a lot more than team A. Then collect the airplanes so they aren’t a distraction. L e a d a l a r ge -gr o up discussion using the following questions:

» How did team B feel at the start of the game? How did team B feel when team C joined in? Try to draw out the feelings of being overwhelmed and powerless to do anything to stop being bombarded by planes. » How did teams A and C feel about their parts in the game?

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Int r o d uc e t he t heme of natural disasters. Ask the young people to brainstorm some

recent natural disasters and to note where and when they have happened. The following are some examples that should be mentioned if the participants don’t bring them up: » earthquake, China, 2008 » typhoon, Myanmar, 2008 » drought, Somalia, East Africa, 2006 » famine, Niger, 2005 » earthquake, Pakistan, 2005 » hurricane, New Orleans, 2005 » tsunami, Indian Ocean, 2004 Explain the following: » Many disasters are naturally occurring phenomena, but the causes and impacts are affected by human activity. » The ongoing damage to the earth’s fragile ecosystem and the impacts of climate change has probably contributed to an increase in the number of natural disasters. » People and communities deeply entrenched in poverty are the most vulnerable to the destruction and devastation brought on by natural disasters.

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» Disasters happen when natural events spiral out of control and whole communities and countries are overwhelmed by them, a bit like team B’s having to cope with the onslaught from teams A and C. Di s c us s w h e t he r anything can be done to stop disasters from happening. Di v ide t he l a r ge gr o up into small groups of four or five. Distribute a sheet of lined

paper and a pen or pencil to each small group. Then ask the groups to imagine that a freak tornado has destroyed their neighborhood street. Fortunately it happened during the day when most people weren’t home, so no one was killed, although a few were injured. However, their houses and most of their possessions were destroyed. Invite the small groups to discuss the following questions: » How will you cope? » Where will you stay tonight? » What will you do for food this evening? » What will you do for clothes tomorrow? » How will you afford a new house?

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» Where might you go to live while you find a new house? » How will you get money to live? Ask that someone in each small group record the group’s thoughts. Inv i t e t h e s m a ll gr o ups to share their recovery plans with the large group. Then ask

the small groups to imagine what it might be like if the same tornado occurred and they were living in a developing country where they were poor and all those around them were poor as well. Ask them to discuss how the impact might be different. Note: If this were to happen in the United States (and it has), it would be devastating and would take considerable time for individuals and communities to recover. In comparing the effects of this type of event in the United States to some of the much larger disasters that other countries face, be careful not to imply that people who have been through something like this in the United States or similar countries have not suffered. But it is useful to make the comparison in order for the participants to understand why disasters have a much bigger impact in poor countries. C o n c l ud e t h e ac t iv it y by noting the following points:

» Natural disasters themselves cannot be fully prevented, but their impacts can be reduced. » Through emergency response, World Vision and other agencies support the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts of affected communities. » World Vision also works with communities in disaster mitigation, supporting those communities in developing strategies to reduce their vulnerability to disaster. Invite the participants to consider ways they might assist efforts when disaster strikes.

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About World Vision W o rld Vis i o n i s a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to helping children and their families break free from poverty. Our work is motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ. We see a world where each child experiences “fullness of life” as described in John 10:10. And we know this can be achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty and injustice in a holistic way. That’s how World Vision is unique: We bring nearly sixty years of experience in three key areas needed to help children and families thrive: emergency relief, long-term development, and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to care for children’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. W o rld Vis i o n R es o u r c e s educates Christians about global poverty, inspires them to social justice, and equips them with innovative resources to make a difference in the world. By developing biblically-based materials for educators and ministry leaders on the causes and consequences of global poverty, World Vision Resources supports the organizational mandate to move the church in the United States to more fully embrace its biblical responsibility to serve the poor.

For more information about our resources, contact: World Vision Resources www.worldvision.org wvresources@worldvision.org

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