Natural disasters through children's eyes

Blazing fires. Torrential floods. Cracked, barren earth too parched to produce any crops. Women and children hiking for miles to find water, only to have to scoop it from a murky puddle. Entire families uprooted and displaced by disaster.

These scenes sound like something out of a doomsday scenario, but for the millions of children who grow up witnessing the effects of natural disasters, they are reality. Around the world, unpredictable weather events are growing more frequent, widespread and extreme.

These children’s creations tell a story of great hardship, but also of deep hope. They paint a picture of natural disasters we can’t afford to ignore. Take a look for yourself.

Zambia

Zambia, a small country in south-central Africa, has long been prone to bouts of alternating drought and seasonal flash flooding, but these have increased in severity in recent years. In 2023, unusually heavy flooding in Zambia swept away homes, roads and other infrastructure – like this bridge that once connected Dickson, 15, and his friends to their school.

India

Sixteen-year-old Babita’s drawing depicts a tale of two Indias. There is the reality she sees all around her, in which heavy urban pollution traps greenhouse gases, taints water sources and negatively impacts agriculture. Then there is the reality she hopes for, in which sustainable living allows natural resources to flow.

Kenya

Lucky, 14, has seen the effects of severe drought firsthand in the form of growing rates of malnutrition in his community in Kenya. From 2020 to 2023, East Africa experienced its longest, most severe drought in recent memory. The drought killed many of the livestock and crops people depended on for food, leaving tens of millions in dire need of food assistance. Although seasonal rains have since returned, the impact of malnutrition on growing minds and bodies can be lifelong.

Bolivia

In Bolivia, weather conditions have been unusually hot and dry. Roaring wildfires burned a record-breaking 15 million hectares of land in 2024 alone, an area larger than Greece. One young survivor, 12-year-old Micaela, illustrated her experience vividly – but she also painted a vision of a more hopeful future. “Let’s Paint Better Days for the World,” she called her creation.

Indonesia

Dinda, 16, illustrated her own vision of a healthy planet – one built on sustainability. Her home country of Indonesia is highly vulnerable to natural disasters due to its low-lying coastal areas, large population and geographical location. In her new world, humans cooperate to reduce their carbon footprint, and all living beings reap the benefits.

Uganda

Finally, Precious, a 21-year-old in Uganda, summed up her love for her community and her desire for a livable future in a succinct poem, “A Glimpse at Tomorrow’s World.”

I gaze at the lush, green forest. 
And wonder what the environment is, really, 
The air I breathe, the water I drink, 
The land that I call home. 

The environment connects us all, 
Providing life, shelter, and beauty, 
But now, it feels different, not as before. 
Seasons shift, storms grow fierce, 
And the change, I have seen it with my own eyes. 

In ten or twenty years, what will it be? 
Sea levels rise, towns washed away, 
Storms and heat becoming the norm 
Yet, I dream of a future bright 
Where renewable energy powers our lives. 

Cities filled with green spaces and farms, 
Technology that heals what is torn, 
Perhaps, there we will learn to live in harmony 
Cherishing beauty, respecting limits, 
Together, we can create a world that thrives.

In any crisis, children are always the most vulnerable – at increased risk of losing access to the basics they need to grow up, like shelter, food, water and protection from violence. They are the ones who will inherit the effects of natural disasters. Learn more about our work to center children’s voices and perspectives in disaster risk resilience and building sustainability.