Happy squeals and laughter from almost 50 young children filled a cosy village hall on a recent Sunday morning in Wiang Kaen district, Chiang Rai. They were pointing at a man dressed comically in a green crocodile costume panicking over his missing teeth. Outside, the weather was 14C. The children sported colourful jackets, some with Moo Deng printed on them.
In late August 2024, relentless monsoon rains caused severe floodings and landslides in the North, affecting over 213,442 people, including 51,002 children. Chiang Rai was one of the most heavily affected provinces; Wiang Kaen district among them. Houses and roads were damaged. Parents were unable to go to work. Schools were closed. Many families had to evacuate.
It was a difficult and stressful time for everyone, including children.
"At that time, my daughter kept asking me if we're gonna have a house to live in, if our house would fall apart too," said Hong, a 42-year-old housewife. "I told her that if we really have nowhere else to go, we can stay temporarily at the school. She then got worried, if that were the case, she wouldn't be able to study."
Children play with a storytelling prop.
The family ended up staying with Hong's mother-in-law for a few days before returning home to help care for bedridden relatives next door. Her six-year-old daughter reportedly brought along her school bag and uniforms during their brief evacuation. Unfortunately for the school-loving girl, classes were cancelled for a few weeks.
During our visit to the village last month, wreckage and remnants of the landslides could still be seen. A few families were still living in a shelter as their homes were destroyed.
To help cheer up the children and the wider community, the Wandering Moon Performing Group and Endless Journey recently visited the village to perform their storytelling show and organise a puppet-making workshop. This was part of the psychological first aid (PFA) programme from Save the Children Thailand's humanitarian response to help children cope and recover emotionally following a disaster.
Monlada Yaemo, a healthcare provider at a local Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital and fellow villager, said that her nephew and grandson have been very excited about the performance. They woke up and got ready very early in the morning in anticipation before joining other children to listen to stories and make paper puppets together.
The Crocodile Man makes his appearance.
She was also happy to see other parents joining in the activities with their children, suggesting this helps to strengthen the bonds of people in the village.
"Activities like this also help children with their development. When children gather and play together, they spread and share joy with one another," said Monlada.
PFA can help people feel safe and calm, reduce stress, and enable people to access emotional and social support after a crisis or disaster. The activities can take various forms. One effective way to provide PFA is through art-based and recreational activities, which allow individuals -- especially children -- to express their emotions creatively.
Besides the crocodile man, there were also stories of a granny who swallows a cricket and two rats making an egg cake together. The interactive stories came with big, colourful props and were a hit with the children.
Hong's daughter shows off a puppet she made in the workshop.
Monthatip Suksopha, a Chiang Mai-based artist and head of the Wandering Moon group, recalled how her team -- a network of artists -- planned for the performances. They initially thought of stories to teach children how to prepare for a disaster, but later decided to just focus on lifting their spirits.
Based on a conversation with several villagers, this was the first time they experienced a natural disaster at this scale, and nobody really knew how to handle it.
"But it would be too soon for that. People may not be ready to hear how they can prepare or protect themselves right now," Monthatip said, suggesting this will be crucial later down the line. Wandering Moon worked with Save the Children over 20 years ago in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, in the Little Tun project, to use art as a tool for both emotional healing and also educating children about emergency preparedness.
"From our experience, it was clear that children learned through art quite quickly. And they were ready to learn to protect themselves," she added.
Children check each other's handiwork.
In preparation for their series of performances at schools and communities in Chiang Rai, the group received PFA and child safeguarding training from the Save the Children's social worker.
Providing psychosocial support is crucial in helping children resume their normal life post-disaster and reinforce their resilience, said Thachamach Krairit, of Save the Children International.
"By taking the children out of a stressful environment and allowing them to just enjoy themselves and laugh freely is already a form of healing. Although it may only be a short period of time, at least they get to smile and feel happier that day," she added.
Children are one of the most vulnerable groups when disasters strike. When their daily lives and routines are abruptly disrupted, they could be even more vulnerable to the situation if there's no preparation or support in place. And the effect on their mental health is concerning.
These effects may be quickly noticeable, such as insomnia and changing diet. But long-term impact on mental health may play out in changing behaviours or increasing anxiety, such as jolting awake in fear at night that a flood is coming, for example.
Kids work on their paper puppets.
At another school in Chiang Rai, a student told us he was still afraid of the sound of rainfall even weeks after the flooding, signifying an emotional toll left behind long after the water had receded.
Thachamach believes that psychological effects of disasters on adults and children may not be too different. But as children may not be able to express or communicate their feelings as clearly, or even know to ask for help, it is up to adults around them to observe and support them as needed.
One of the easy ways that PFA can be delivered is through three key actions -- look, listen and link. Basically, it's to observe if there are any behavioural changes in a person, listen attentively to what they want to share, and link them to professional help as required.
Some of the paper puppets painted by the children.
"Psychological first aid is not provided only because people need help, but because we believe they can recover and get back on their feet. It's empowering," Thachamach said.
Save the Children provided PFA training to teachers and health workers from over 20 schools and seven communities in Chiang Rai so that they could support families affected by the disaster. The organisation also works closely with mental health units and hospitals in the area as points of referral.
Beyond immediate relief, its local team remains engaged in the recovery process -- distributing hygiene kits for babies and children, repairing schools and ensuring affected communities have the support they need well beyond the initial response.
To support Save the Children Thailand, visit savethechildren.or.th.
Children enjoying games.
