What is "Return to Happiness?"
Return to Happiness (RTH) is a psychosocial recovery programme developed by UNICEF for children between the ages of 0-18 years who have experienced trauma from disaster, conflict or violence. Children who participate in RTH receive support to help them process their stress and trauma and begin looking towards the future
Restoring Joy: Guided Play After Disaster
People respond to disaster situations in different ways. Children are usually most affected, and they respond differently to adolescents and adults. As a result, it is important for opportunities to be created for children to tell their stories, express their fears, concerns, hopes, and dreams.
The goal of RTH is to create opportunities for children who have experienced a natural or manmade disaster to process their experiences through a series of guided play activities that helps reduce their post-disaster anxieties and empowers them to re-establish their sense of joy, happiness, security, and confidence in adult protection.
Programme Delivery
In the Caribbean, RTH has been implemented in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Lucia, the Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Vincent, and the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
The programme is designed to be delivered to children in the immediate period following their experience of trauma. It is delivered for 12 days over a 3-week period:
- one (1) orientation day
- ten (10) programme days
- one (1) culminating celebration day
Depending on the magnitude of the disaster, the programme can be implemented at a national or community level.
Session Details
During the orientation day, parents and children receive information about the programme and guidelines for additional support and assistance during the recovery process.
Children are exposed to twenty (20) hours of guided play activities over ten (10) days within three (3) weeks. Each session is held for two (2) hours and children are placed in groups of ten (10) to participate in activities such as drawing, storytelling, painting, modelling, cultural activities, puppetry and theatre. These activities help children to express their feelings, anxieties, fears, and ideas while also leveraging their creative skills. Digitised activities are available online to volunteer facilitators to support session delivery with children.
After the twenty (20) hours of guided activities are completed, a celebration is held to exhibit the children’s creative expressions. This culminating event is open to family, school, community, and stakeholders.
