Voices of Hope - Adolescents and the Tsunami

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean combined to produce a natural disaster of unprecedented scale, leaving 300,000 people dead or missing and displacing hundreds of thousands more. More than one third of those who died were children.

Over the months that followed, young people all over the affected region took action, helping to distribute aid, assisting with clean-up and rebuilding efforts, looking after those younger than them, and using their creativity to let others know about the devastation.

The response from young people in other parts of the world was equally inspiring. Only four days after the disaster, UNICEF’s interactive website, Voices of Youth was filled with messages from young people the world over expressing shock and solidarity, and offering to help.

In an extraordinary outpouring of feelings and practical solutions, they demonstrated their desire and their ability to comfort, analyse and act.