“We were stunned, as in most Syrian cities, by scenes of terror: rainstorms, lightning and strong winds violently flooded the coastal area. Then we realized that it was neither a strong explosion nor a hurricane, but a very strong earthquake.”
The testimony that comes from the educational center “Piccoli Sogni” in the city of Baniyas, in Syria, tells of moments of great fear when on February 6th a very violent earthquake hit Syria and Turkey.
The educational center “Small Dreams” of Baniyas
“Piccoli sogni” is one of the educational centers that AMU supports with the project Seeds of Hope . Here Syrian children attend classes to remediate school subjects, draw, play, and sing all together.
And it is precisely together, with a strong community spirit, that teachers and workers of the center are now facing the delicate moment after the earthquake.
First they made sure everyone was okay. Luckily there were no casualties among the workers at the education center, the children and their families .
But the fear was great and the material damage suffered by the houses was also numerous. Four families of the small pupils of the educational centre had to leave their homes, fortunately finding hospitality with other families.
How to overcome earthquake trauma
The urgency now is to work to help the children overcome the trauma of the earthquake . In the days immediately following the first strong shock, when the educational center remained closed, the team of teachers from the after-school program in Baniyas met to understand how to deal with this fear and to be ready to welcome the children again.
When the children resumed after-school activities, the teachers started a psychological first aid program for the young students. The program includes listening, dialogue, a simplified scientific explanation of the earthquake, and training on safe behaviors to adopt in the event of new tremors.
Unfortunately, on February 20th there was a second strong shock and panic spread further. The school attendance has been interrupted again, but the teachers of the educational center supported by Semi di Speranza are working to welcome, once again, the boys and girls who attend the after-school program “Piccoli Sogni”.