The power of children's voices in disaster risk reduction

Pupils in a La Paz area at risk from landslides were able to have their views heard by parents and politicians and get their school relocated to safety.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) conducted a risk assessment of landslides in Southern Leyte in 2006, determining that eight areas were at high risk within the Municipality of San Francisco.

These included Santa Paz Sur and Santa Paz Norte, with recommendations to relocate affected houses. The two areas were home to a high school and an elementary school, both of which were considered to be extremely exposed.

Following debates about whether and how to relocate the school, the headmaster opened the decision to a community-wide referendum to include a vote each for the children of the school.

Broadly the children were in favour of the relocation and their parents against it, because the parents were concerned about their children having to travel to school in a different community and the loss of livelihoods associated with the relocation of a school. In addition, different political affiliations of the leadership in the two areas led to confusion over the exact risk communications of the MGB.

The children's organisations in the school (Supreme Student Council and Student Government Organisation) embarked on an education campaign about the physical processes of landslides and a great many students wrote to the School Division Superintendent expressing their desire to relocate. The student's proposal won the vote by 101 to 49.

Due to concerns from the Provincial authorities, a more protracted timetable for relocation was shortened to just 2 days following heavy rains. The tent school was erected over one weekend with children and parents helping to put up the tents and children digging drainage channels due to the temporary school's location close to a paddy field.

The tents, water supply and toilets were provided by Plan Philippines, along with a scholarship programme helping poorer students to afford uniforms and schools supplies.

The children reported feelings of excitement about the whole process and did not express any regret about the decision to move. They did report difficult conditions in the temporary school, particularly the heat in the tents, though the children helped to line the tents with banana leaves to cool them.

The new school is now being constructed in Pasanon, a safer location a few hundred metres from the temporary school, with co-financing from Plan. The school will include earthquake mitigation measures such as steel ties on the roof. Toilets are also being built in each classroom in preparation for its use as an evacuation shelter.