Voices of Hope : Adolescents and the Tsunami

Adolescents and young people have repeatedly proven that they can provide innovative solutions in the midst of complex humanitarian crises.

In December 2004, an earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean region resulted in a natural disaster of an unprecedented scale, leaving 300,000 people dead or missing, with many hundreds of thousands more displaced.

Over the months that followed, young people from all over the affected region took action, helping to distribute aid, assisting with clean-up and rebuilding work, looking after those younger than themselves 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, with an outpouring of messages of solidarity and practical solutions sent to UNICEF's Voices of Youth website.

This publication highlights some of these comments posted on the website, in an acknowledgement that it is time to listen to young people and to engage them as key partners in development and reconstruction efforts.