Psycho-social and educational impact of flood among school going children

Disasters being unanticipated events by their nature results in extremely destructive consequences. It disrupts the lives of trillions and among which children are the most vulnerable. There is a need for a study of the impacts of those events in the current society especially among children where always interventions used to meet their needs and demands are based on top-down approaches. The disasters especially, floods have a huge impact in all spheres of life including psychological, social and educational and its effects may persist for life long if not intervened properly.

This study plan to measure the psycho-social and educational impact of flood among school-going children in Kerala in the background of 2018 flood.

After six month of event 60% of the participants (41% of female and 19% of male) started to show PTSD symptoms. Lack of psychological first aid and counselling had impacted in absentism in schools after re-opening and children have reported poor concentration and other symptoms of psychological disorder in a context where they had lost properties, notebooks, uniforms, family members, close friends, pets, damaged school buildings and their family background where most of the parents are working in the informal sectors and are suffering to rebuild their homes.