education
Her recent book ‘ Storm Surges ’ hits home as she recalls when Typhoon Mangkhut ripped through Hong Kong in 2018 leaving behind a huge mess and rise in water levels across the city . Through time travel , the lovingly sketched characters by Tokyo based illustrator Mariko Jesse ( who grew up in Hong Kong ), visit the traditional fishing village of Tai O and learn how to protect their home , stay safe and learn what precautions to take if they need to evacuate .
to keep clear from the coast when a storm surge warning is in place .
As the global pandemic hit the entire globe , Martha felt a calling to add to her COPE series with a book on COVID-19 which aims to help children stay safe and smiling during these challenging times .
COPE COVID-19 offers a glimpse into the lives of many children around the world , battling the effects of COVID – from an eight-year-old Zain from Pakistan who wonders whether he will reunite with his father to 12-year-old Waru who lives in a remote village down under contemplating whether testing facilities will be set up to protect him and his family .
stay well , active , safe and smiling whilst maintaining a resilient attitude in the face of adversity . “ With something like a global pandemic , children have been exposed to new conversations , stories and experiences such as isolation , illness and , at times death , that they are ill-equipped to deal with ,” says Martha .
“ It ’ s important to have these conversations in a light-hearted way teaching them the life skills to cope as and when calamities occur ,” she adds .
Teaching children to be COVID-19 champions , this important booklet reminds us that although life is difficult , we can look through hardships , hurdles , obstacles and struggles with faith and resilience and remember that we ’ re all in this together .
Edited by Dr Timothy Sim of the Hong Kong Polytechnic , and with expert weather information from Scientific Advisors — The World Meteorological Organization and The Hong Kong Observatory , and a collaboration with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute — COPE Storm Surges has beautiful illustrations and a story which is engaging and educational , teaching children all over the world the message
Eight-year-old Sachi from Kobe also relates how she misses her evening meals with her mum , a nurse , who is looked upon by the wider community as a ‘ hero ’, making Kobe and her siblings ‘ children of heroes ’. These remarkable and heroic Covid tales bring children closer and guides them to
“ While COVID-19 is technically not a natural disaster , we felt the topic needed covering ,” says Keswick , adding that the book has garnered support from the United Nations Children ’ s Fund , UNICEF Hong Kong which has created a video on Cantonese and disseminated COPE COVID-19 to 500,000 kindergarten and primary schoolchildren , and 100,000 parents and care givers .
To reach as many children as possible , the COPE COVID-19 booklet is now also available in Chinese ( Simplified and Traditional ), Thai , Tagalog , Malay , Burmese and Vietnamese : www . cope-disaster-champions . com
@ copedisasterchampions
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