As Nepalese struggle to recover from the devastation of last week’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake, art therapy is helping children cope with the traumatic experience.

Children are especially vulnerable during emergencies. Over the years, art therapy has been used in disaster relief as a highly feasible means of reaching out to traumatized children and victims of natural catastrophes and war. Children put on paper the unspeakable – their fears, their emotions, their mourning. The creative process allows them to reveal their suffering, thereby relieving themselves of their psycho-emotional burden.

Sneha Shrestha, founder of Nepal’s first Children’s Art Museum is collecting funds to provide art therapy to children affected by the earthquake.

“We know that our role is going to be so vital over the next several years helping children cope with the disaster,” Shrestha said.

Several organizations have been delivering tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Nepal as part of ongoing efforts to reach at least 1.7 million children living in areas hardest hit by the earthquake.

Read the article “Art Therapy Helps Children in Nepal Cope After Earthquake” on goodnewsnetwork.org.