Regaining Her Smile, Dispelling Fear

Maria (left) sits with a friend, watching competitions at a sports festival sponsored by Mercy Corps' Moving Forward program. Photo: Fanny Hung/Mercy Corps

Chincha, Peru — On a sweltering morning, 9-year-old Maria watched three-legged races between her classmates and children from nearby communities. She was one of several dozen young participants of Mercy Corps' Moving Forward program gathered from four local communities — Lurinchincha, Tambo de Mora, Sunampe and Canete — to join in activities held as a final sports festival after three months of fun activities and new friendships.

It was a much different, happier moment than many have been over the last several months; more like childhood should be. With precocious composure and a trace of sadness in her eyes, Maria started to unfold her stories to me through a Peruvian interpreter.

Last August, Chincha — a coastal province situated to the south of Peru's capital, Lima — was devastated by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake, turning the living conditions of this poor rural area from bad to worse. More than 519 people were killed and tens of thousands of houses were destroyed, which left numerous frightened villagers sleeping on the street for around two months.

Maria was one of these survivors. She was bringing food from the kitchen when the massive earthquake struck her village. She dashed away from her small adobe home with her parents and brothers, but before they could draw a breath, her mother found out that the youngest child - a baby girl — was still in the house. Without the slightest hesitation, Maria's mother rushed back into the teetering hut to get her little girl. Just as her mother was hurrying out of the doorway with the baby in her arms, Maria witnessed a horrifying scene which has never stopped haunting her: one of the walls toppled over on her mother's back.

Because of the soft texture of the mud walls, Maria's mom was not seriously injured except for some bruises. She vomited several times that day — perhaps as much from rattled nerves as physical trauma. But even though the family emerged without serious injury, their home was ravaged — just like their neighbors' homes.

Weeks without a good night's sleep

Maria holds her baby sister, who was saved from their collapsing house by their courageous mother. Photo: Fanny Hung/Mercy Corps

For more than two months Maria and her family had to sleep on the streets, with nothing more than thin blankets to curl up on. And since the electricity was cut off in the affected area, it was pitch dark and chilly each night. To make matters worse, there was a lot of rain during the first few weeks after the earthquake. Many people started to have a bad cough as flu virus spread among the homeless crowds. The fear of aftershocks roused them frequently from sleep in the middle of the night.

Maria, unable to get over the shocking sight of her mother trapped under the fallen wall, had continuous nightmares and often found herself waking up with tears on her face.

During the daytime, Maria and her family would collect firewood and artichokes in the vicinity to cook simple soups in the pots they scavenged from the ruins of their home. After two months, they moved into provisional housing. However, a roof over their head was not enough to dissipate the trauma embedded in many villagers' hearts — especially children like Maria.

During that difficult time, Mercy Corps intervened for children, beginning sport and games-based activities through our local partner, Soluciones Practicas.

Getting back to play

Led by trained adult mentors, the Moving Forward Sport for Youth Pilot Project is designed to alleviate the psychosocial distress that children suffered as a result of the earthquake. This collaborative program between Mercy Corps, Nike and CARE helps children heal their emotional wounds by playing soccer, engaging in volleyball matches and dancing alongside other young survivors. The approach uses experienced teachers and coaches to guide youth through their grief.

The three-legged race gets underway. Photo: Fanny Hung/Mercy Corps

However, for many voluntary leaders and mentors of this program, it was hard to persuade parents to allow their kids to join the activities — parents need them for daily chores. Nevertheless, through unwearied efforts and frequent visits, most of the community's children aged from eight to seventeen attended the activities at least two times a week, one hour a time. During the three months of participation in various activities that aimed to help kids build self-esteem, Maria, as well as other youth participants, was gradually relieved from earthquake-related anxiety and distress.

Maria no longer has nightmares; she never awakes with abrupt cries any more. And besides this healing, she has also benefited from the activities in other ways. Maria can now play soccer with boys — before the activities, boys had a bias against girls playing ball games.

With higher self-esteem, local children have learned not only to properly appreciate themselves but also to respect their mentors and friends. Most important of all, they are now able to express their feelings freely, no longer fearing to the laughter of their peers. And better communication has led to greater understanding between parents and children, which in the past was a tough issue.

"I wish the program could last longer and become an everyday activity," said Maria, whose life is back on track after her father went back to the farm working. When asked about what she aspires to do after growing up, Maria replied readily, "a gynecologist. I wish to help mothers deliver babies."

Comfortable and confident, she is over her earthquake trauma and has regained her smile.

We are now finalizing caring activities like these for children living in the aftermath of China's recent earthquake. You can support these efforts by making a donation to our Emergency Response fund or signing up as a monthly supporter of our Give for Kids program.