Recovery efforts in Sri Lanka: TeamUp’s role in strengthening children’s wellbeing after Cyclone Ditwah

For tens of thousands of children, this is already their second week in crowded shelters, facing uncertainty, fear, and the disruption of daily routines. The emotional toll is immense, and mental health support is critical.

Life in temporary shelters

In Colombo, one school now serves as a shelter for hundreds of families who had to flee their homes. Classrooms designed for learning are packed with people, wooden desks have been pushed together as makeshift beds, and many children sleep on mats on concrete floors.

Seventeen-year-old Rashmi and her friend Shoba are among the many children living in these harsh conditions. For them, the overcrowded space is loud, stifling, and makes rest nearly impossible. When the water rushed in unexpectedly in the middle of the night, Rashmi and her family had only moments to escape, managing to take a few clothes but losing almost everything else. All her schoolbooks were destroyed, and she was able to save only a handful of notes.

TeamUp: Structured support for children in Sri Lanka

To address the urgent mental health and psychosocial needs of children, our partner Save the Children, together with the Centre for Children’s Happiness (CCH), is providing support using TeamUp, the evidence-based methodology co-created with War Child.

Centre for Children’s Happiness is an independent and impartial, nonprofit organisation investing in protective, peaceful, positive childhood and environment for children and young people in Sri Lanka. In the last three years, War Child has invested in and collaborated with CCH to strengthen their capacity in TeamUp and other Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support (MHPSS) methodologies.

TeamUp uses structured play and movement-based activities delivered by trained facilitators to help children:

• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Restore a sense of safety
• Reconnect with peers
• Re-establish daily routines

The first sessions reached around 60 children in child-friendly spaces. Facilitators observed calmer, more engaged children who were better able to interact with others despite the crisis. The activities also allow staff to identify children who may need more specialised support.

Children’s voices

Children themselves are already experiencing the benefits of TeamUp. One 11-year-old captured the relief and hope the sessions brought through a drawing and poem:

“How a flood of tears moved into a wave of happiness and love, a moment transformed beautifully as joy blossomed everywhere.”

Another child, Rashmi, mentioned that participating in TeamUp helped her shift her focus from the loss of her home to connecting with other children and making new friends.

Why mental health support matters

Mayuran Thirunavukkarasu from the Center for Children’s Happiness (CCH) explains that: “Children are afraid, there is so much uncertainty about what will happen next. Their emotional security was lost in the floods. They have lost everything that makes them feel safe and is important to them, like their schoolbooks and clothes. This is the worst disaster many of them have experienced, so they have big feelings that they don’t have sufficient skills to deal with.”

“Mental health support for children in an emergency is not a nice to have, it’s a must have. Experiencing distress is a normal reaction to extreme circumstances. Without urgent psychosocial support, children’s symptoms can worsen and become long-term. Support now is critical to help them cope in the weeks and months ahead," says Julian Chellappah, Country Director - Save the Children Sri Lanka.

Supporting children through crises

Through TeamUp, partners are helping children affected by any crises - including natural disasters - find moments of calm, rebuild routines, and regain connection with their peers. Structured play and movement sessions provide a vital lifeline, helping children process trauma and build resilience even amid ongoing uncertainty.

TeamUp demonstrates how targeted psychosocial support can make a tangible difference for children in emergencies, giving them the tools and space to recover emotionally while surrounded by trained facilitators and peers.

This article was developed with photos and on-the-ground insights generously shared by our partner Save the Children.