Let’s play
‘And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair,’ so says Khalil Gibran. In Tacloban, one soothing sound can be heard now: children’s laughter.
Amid the cacophony of noises one will hear in Tacloban, Leyte—the rhythmic gushing of waves, gates of store slowly reopening for business, jeepneys and motorcycles on the road, airplanes landing—one comforting sound can be heard across the grief-stricken province: the joyful laughter of kids now able to play.
One of them is six-year-old Noelle, who enjoys playing with balloons and bubbles. Though she cannot speak fluent Tagalog, her eyes speak of pure happiness because finally, she has a new playground to go to with her friends, courtesy of J&J Philippines, in partnership with Play Pilipinas and the Department of Education through their project ’Di Lang Laro ang Laro. It is Sagkahan, Tacloban’s first ever playground post-Yolanda.
The playground, even before it was finished, drew kids into the school. Those who have lost interest in going to class came back just to check out the playground and try out the swing.
In Sagkahan Elementary School, which has one of the biggest student populations in the province, 1,700 kids are currently enrolled, down from last year’s 1,996 students.
According to school principal Nice Galura, some kids still get scared every time the sun hides from the clouds. “Yung iba nagtatanong kung mauulit daw ba ang Yolanda. ‘Yung ibang bata naman nagsasabi ‘Mama, tara na sa banyo’,” Nice says. Apparently, the comfort rooms became their safe haven during the storm.
In a recent survey done by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) between November 2013 and March of this year about 80 percent of the villages reported change in children’s behavior, particularly the presence of the fear of strong winds and rain and uncontrollable crying and screaming.
But play can be a form of therapy. According to Asian Hospital and Medical Center developmental psychologist Sampaguita Adapon, “Play is the natural means of expression for children and it allows them to channel whatever pent-up feelings or emotions they may have, especially if they find it difficult to verbalize or talk about them.” She adds that play therapy can help kids overcome a trauma and make them feel better.
According to Australian Catholic University Professor Geraldine Naughton, the first six years of a child is the most critical part of growing up. A child, when deprived of active play, loses brain cells, composed of neurons and glial cells, which are keys in learning and development. Experts encourage at least 60 minutes of active play in order to develop their physical, emotional, and mental health.
“We have high hopes for kids affected by Yolanda to discover the world around them with a renewed sense of optimism. We wish to bring back a sense of normalcy in the lives of these kids with active play as a means to heal them from the trauma Yolanda has caused,” Johnson’s Baby senior brand manager Kris Llanes says.
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