Sport and play for traumatized children and youth

A natural disaster such as the earthquake that struck the city of Bam, Iran in the early morning of December 26, 200 not only destroys infrastructure and buildings, but also affects individuals on a mental level and disrupts society as a whole. The first priority of humanitarian organizations after such an incident is to assure that the basic needs of the affected population are met. But apart from that, it has to go beyond mere material and technical interventions, as well, and think of ways in which to support the population in coping with the traumatic experiences each individual has made and in rebuilding social relations that have been torn apart. It is this psychosocial rehabilitation process, which is the foundation for healthy and sustainable development in the future. Effective instruments on how to support a postdisaster rehabilitation process in the framework of humanitarian assistance are still being developed. Sport and play have recently gained attention as possible instruments for this purpose. The project “Sport and Play for Traumatized Children and Youth in Bam, Iran” of the Swiss Academy for Development (SAD) was a pilot project conducted in this field. This report summarises the experiences gained and lessons learnt from the project in Bam, thereby trying to indicate the potentials and constraints of using sport and play as tools for the psychosocial rehabilitation of children and youth in a postdisaster situation. This could serve as a guideline and an inspiration for future projects in this field.