Nepal quake leaves children traumatised

Ten-year-old Ranju Giri wrings her hands as she describes how she cowered terrified under a bed with her younger brother when a massive earthquake rocked their home in Kathmandu.
Like many children in the Nepalese capital, Ranju survived the earthquake physically unharmed. But she bears the mental scars of a disaster that has devastated the country, killing thousands and leaving many more homeless.
"We were so scared, we went under the bed to protect ourselves. And after that we went to an open area. It took a long time to console my brother," said Ranju, whose mother was out working when the quake hit on April 25.

Since that day, Ranju's family has been camping out with hundreds of others on Kathmandu's Tundikhel parade ground, where UNICEF has set up tents to provide a space for children to play safely and begin to overcome their ordeal.
The UN children's agency says the trauma of surviving an earthquake has been compounded by children being left homeless and by the aftershocks that have continued to rock the city since the 7.8-magnitude quake hit on April 25.
Spokesman Kent Page said the spaces were designed to give young people "a sense of normalcy in a situation that's absolutely abnormal".

"That is important for them to recover from the traumatic experience they've been through," he said.

"We know from experience that children are very resilient. If we can get them into a normal routine and get them into a safe place to play and meet kids, they can really bounce back quickly."
With all government schools closed until May 15, 22 of these child-friendly spaces have been set up in the Kathmandu Valley and the UN says it wants to expand the service.
Yesterday morning, children of all ages ran around in the sun laughing and playing at the space in Tundikhel, while others drew or played quietly with dolls in a corner of a large tent.

Young Nepali volunteers were on hand along with trained counsellors to ensure the children - many of whom lost relatives or friends in the quake - have someone to talk to about their experiences.
Thirteen-year-old Prakash Giri, who was playing cricket in the street with his best friend when the quake hit, said the space had given him the chance to meet other children and compare experiences.