Survival skills, teach children the basics

If you found yourself trapped in a forest without any food or shelter, how would you handle the situation? In the unfortunate event of accidentally falling into a river or any other water body, would you be able to survive? Furthermore, what about facing a flood or any other natural calamity? Are you familiar with the local environment and natural habitat of the country in which you are situated? These questions arose in my mind in the light of the remarkable story of four Columbian children who survived nearly 40 days battling unspeakable odds in Amazon jungle.

As BBC reports, the children, all members of the indigenous Huitoto people, had been missing since the plane they were travelling in crashed into the Amazon in the early hours of 1 May.

BBC quotes a local newspaper, after the crash, thirteen-year-old Lesly built makeshift shelters from branches held together with her hair ties. The children survived on the flour they recovered from the wrecked plane until it ran out and then they ate seeds, Edwin Paki.

The report furthers mentions one Henry Guerrero, an indigenous man who was a part of the search team that finally located the children, said they had also been eating fruit from the Bacaba palm tree known locally as "milpesos", which are rich in oil and taste similar to avocados. He said one of the young children had a seed from the tree in his mouth when they found him.

In an extraordinary display of resilience, these children made history by surviving in conditions that were beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

This idea compelled me to knock every apartment of the building I live in and ask the parents if their children know how to swim or have proper knowledge of how to survive an emergency. Astonishingly, none of the 9 children, aged between 6 to 13 years, know how to swim. They do not have any proper knowledge of first aid, plants and other natural habitats either. Most of the children in urban areas do not know names of trees or about what sort of fruits are edible.

Bangladesh is a riverine country. Almost every year a vast area of the country become inundated caused by heavy rains or cyclone. Despite this, a large number of population, mostly living in urban areas, do not know how to swim. Often news of deaths due to drowning while visiting relatives in villages make headlines.

UNICEF reported that Bangladesh witnesses nearly 14000 deaths of children every year due to drowning. The report was published on 25 July 2022 on the occasion of World Drowning Prevention Day.

Parents always wish the best for their children and hope no harm comes to them. In the process they always ignore the fact that there are many things we cannot control and we must stay prepared. Resilience and basic survival skills make human kind march forward and no matter how developed or advanced we become we must learn those skill for our own good. Survival skills are defined as the techniques and skills used in order to survive in any type of natural or built environment. This should be done from a very early age. Learning survival skill not only makes children confident but also makes them physically fit and resilient.

Our school hardly teaches our children about climate resilience, basic survival skills or surviving emergency situation. Parents need to play a vital role in this. They should equip their children to make them ever-ready to cope with any situation.

Considering the environment, climate and socio-geographical condition of Bangladesh, the basic survival skills should target water danger, food, shelter, first aid skills and making quick decision in emergency such as earth-quake, flood or fire.

We should teach our children first aid skill as early as possible. Children over five years are old enough to learn about basic medical needs and their possible responses to survive in situations they may come across.

We should train them to handle situation calmly without being panicked in case of small cuts, scrapes, how to put pressure to stop bleeding from a cut, putting ice on injury, running cold water over a burn immediately and such. A child can be taught complex first aid such as giving CPR or stopping nose bleed by age of 10.

Teaching children about fire safety at an early age is a part of curriculum in developed countries. Parents are also guided to teach their children basic skills to survive in case of fire by the government. Parents should guide children how to crawl on the floor to get out and cover their faces to avoid inhaling smoke in case of fire. Parents can demonstrate how to put out or roll on the ground if their clothes catch fire.

Children should be trained to respond properly during earthquake or other natural calamity. As per the guidelines of Save the Children, the parents should explain to their child what could happen, using simple, age-appropriate words. The parents need to identify and discuss the safest place in an earthquake in their home and tell children to go there immediately if they feel an earthquake. The guideline also asked parents to practice earthquake drills at home.

Children can be taught climbing trees in case of floods or keeping safe from animals in case of emergency.

While some may view these practices as futile in our modern society, where we no longer live as hunter-gatherers, it is crucial to recognize that we cannot solely rely on the machines and technology that we have created. We must strive to tap into and explore our inherent capacities to the fullest. Even the smallest amount of knowledge can make a life-saving difference. Parents should refrain from sheltering their children excessively under the guise of protection. Instead, they should empower them with basic survival skills and foster their growth as well-rounded individuals. As the TV series 'See' aptly puts it, "Every child eventually comes to a bridge that they must cross alone."

*Farjana Liakat works for Prothom Alo and can be reached at [email protected]