Children Ready for Disaster/Uzbekistan

Independent Films, Kids, Web Series

Uzbekistan is part of a Central Asian Region that is prone to natural disasters, including earthquakes. Recently Pakistan and Iran are but two of the countries hit. UNICEF has been there to provide aid in recovery and rescue, but this clip provides example of help in training the children to survive and save others.

Transcripts / Production notes / Scripts

In the boys and girls dormitories of the Kimyogar Summer Camp in Tashkent region, the after lunch sleep is about to come to an abrupt end.

In this emergency evacuation drill, the children instinctively take to the floor beneath their beds. And when the imagined earthquake is over, it’s time to head for safety.

For these children it’s a fun part of their annual summer camp, but the lesson learned is very serious. These are skills that could one day save lives.

SOUNDBITE (Russian) Kasimov Ravshan, Student:
“We’ve learned that once the earth quake stops, we get up calmly, collect a few essentials and then go outside, where we gather in the area they tell us.”

An annual two week camp for 5 to 14 year olds, nestling in the hills of Bostonlik District, it’s difficult to imagine disasters amid such beauty.

But in the capital, Tashkent, a memorial to the 1966 earthquake which all but destroyed the city, acts as a reminder of what can happen.

And far more recently, the influx of refugees from Kyrgyzstan, prompting an international aid response, illustrates the unpredictable nature of emergencies.

Supported by UNICEF and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department, the Government has embarked on nationwide training for young people in Uzbekistan, to enable them to deal with a future disaster, instead of being a victim of one.

SOUNDBITE (Uzbek) Husniddin Aglayev, Civil Protection Training Centre:
“During term time, these kinds of exercises are conducted extensively, and children take home materials to share with their families, so we get the message out to the wider community.”

With more than half the country prone to quakes, it’s an important message to learn and the younger the better.

SOUNDBITE (Uzbek) Ganieva Madina, Student:
“I’ve experienced an earthquake before, but I slept through it. My Mum told me about it afterwards and I think we’re now prepared if a big one happens.”

Children like Madina, very unlikely ever to need a gas mask, but if the need arose, then grateful they took the time to learn here how to use one.

Tags

• Uzbekistan
• earthquake
• natural disaster
• Children
• UNICEF

Directors:

• mo Sacirbey, UNTV

Producers:

• Susan Sacirbey