Children Survivors of Tambora Fire in West Jakarta Laugh Amid Trauma Healing Session

JAKARTA — The atmosphere around the evacuation shelter for the Tambora fire in West Jakarta’s Krendang area suddenly filled with children’s laughter on Friday afternoon (29 May 2026). Despite recently losing their homes in the fire, dozens of child survivors enthusiastically participated in psychosocial support and trauma healing services organised by the Jakarta Provincial Social Affairs Office (Dinsos DKI Jakarta). At the second floor of Al-Hikmah Mosque, they were engaged in group singing, light quizzes, drawing, and discussions with staff about their hobbies and aspirations. The activities were designed to divert children’s attention from their recent traumatic experiences. Ira Ayu Puspita, head of the Social Disaster Victim Protection Subgroup (PSKBS) at Dinsos DKI Jakarta, said the psychosocial support services were specifically targeted at child survivors of the fire. ‘The psychosocial support services focus on children. Activities include group singing, light quizzes, and drawing,’ Ira told Kompas.com at the evacuation site on Friday afternoon. Ira added that the methods used were tailored to the children’s age groups, from primary to junior high school. Fifty child survivors participated in the session, which began at 2:30 PM WIB. She expressed hope that the psychosocial services would help the children recover from their trauma and regain their cheerfulness while awaiting the restoration of their homes. The trauma healing team was warmly received by the parents of survivors. Among them was Feni, 46, who expressed relief seeing her child playing and interacting with friends again despite still being in the evacuation shelter. ‘Alhamdulillah, I’m happy. My child has been playing with friends since morning. The teacher visited earlier, and now Dinsos staff are joining in the fun,’ said Feni. Feni noted that while children may appear cheerful on the surface, they often harbour unseen fears and trauma.