Too Much Water!

Too much water can be as dangerous as too little water. My friend Hajar andher family know because they lived through a tsunami, or tidal wave. After a frightening experience like that, it takes time for everyone to get back to normal. But, with the help of caring friends, Hajar, her family, and their friends are finding it easier to recover.

Hajar Photo: Chris Herlinger/CWS

Five-year-old Hajar lives in Indonesia. The country of Indonesia is made up of more than 15,000 islands. One day a powerful earthquake happened in the ocean off the coast of the island where she lives. The earthquake created a huge tidal wave, called a tsunami. This tsunami was so big that it washed away her whole village. One day it was there, and the next day everything — houses, furniture, toys — was gone. Hajar and her family had to rush to the hills for safety.

Can you imagine how scary that would be? Hajar and her friends were frightened for days. They had trouble sleeping and eating. Their parents were concerned, but they also had to find new homes and get food for their families.

Asmara, Hajar’s mother, took her to a Church World Service program for children who had lost their homes in the tsunami. The leaders of the program invited the children to play games and make crafts. The children acted in dramas and learned traditional dances. These activities helped the children express their feelings about what happened. The children gradually began to feel better.

Each day Church World Service provided a nutritious snack for the children. The women of the community prepared it. With little food to be had, the snacks were important, too! While the children were busy, Asmara and other women of the community met together to talk about how they felt. Some women took a sewing class; others, a cooking class.

The children and their families are rebuilding their lives and their homes. They are beginning to have fun again. The mothers are so pleased with the children’s program that they have asked that it be continued. Hajar and her friends want it to keep going, too.