Yogyakarta (Kedaulatan Rakyat: 23/06/06) ”I only imagine it, not drawing this school destroyed,” said Annisa Wachida spontaneously on Wednesday (06/21). For the fourth grade student of State Elementary School Petir 1 Srimartani Piyungan, the school damaged by the earthquake is described by cracking buildings, fractures on the walls, and falling tiles. 

It is unclear why Annisa was ‘afraid’ to say that it was the picture of her school. State Elementary School Petir 1 is not completely collapsed. But it has been heavily damaged with almost all the tiles had fallen and many cracks on the walls, forcing its 234 students learning under emergency tents. Fortunately, the school has a large yard on which three tents were erected – one from Sampoerna Foundation and two others from Permata (Association of Chinese Community) – where the students are now learning.

Of course it is not easy to learn under emergency tents. It becomes very hot in the afternoon, said the school principal, Isyanti; therefore it’s difficult for students to concentrate. “That’s the reason why we let smaller children from the 1st and 2nd grade to go home at 10 am,” said Isyanti while watching the students on Wednesday (06/21).

The school has finished that afternoon. However the beneficiaries of Sampoerna Foundation scholarships grouped in the Sampoerna Foundation Scholarship Club (SFSC) with the help of volunteers from several universities and Association of Muhammadiyah Teenagers (IRM) were organizing some activities. “We want to ask the children to express what is in their mind. On the first stage, we let them draw, this time we ask them to draw: My House, My School and My Teacher,” said Irfani from SFSC.

Irfani wants the quake victims to open their heart. This time I ask them to draw with a special theme. But previously, Irfani said, we ask students from other school to draw anything they wanted. “The result was more expressive,” she said. Many students were drawing their ‘ideal’ homes and not the ones in which they are currently living.

The children did not describe their experience living and learning under emergency tents. Only a few students drawing their homes and schools in emergency situation in tents. Not many students have the imagination like Annisa has. Even though when being asked, Anissa said that she does not live under an emergency tent, because her house is still livable.

Only a few students draw school tents or house tents.Drawing in a way to assess one’ psychological condition in post-disaster. However, as said development psychologists from the Dr Sardjito General Hospital, Dra Indria L Gamayanti MSi, to know about the psychological condition through drawing is not that easy. It needs comparison as well as certain instructions.

“We cannot say whether those children are in stress only from those drawings. It has to be carried out several times and we have to examine their way of drawing, the instruction and many other aspects,” said Gamayanti.