Through Songs and Games, Kak Seto Recovers the Trauma of Children Victims of Floods in Padang

Chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Agency (LPAI) Seto Mulyadi or often called Kak Seto (right) accompanies the students reading a poem in Padang City, Thursday (8/1/2026). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Chairman of the Indonesian Child Protection Agency (LPAI) Seto Mulyadi, who is familiarly called Kak Seto, provides psychological assistance to children who survived flash floods and landslides in Padang City, West Sumatra. This activity is carried out as an effort to help restore the mental condition of children after disasters.

"Basically, children are easily affected by trauma, but once we came they were also affected by the happy atmosphere," said LPAI Chairman Seto Mulyadi in Padang City, Thursday.

During the activity, hundreds of students from elementary school, middle school, to high school attended a mental strengthening session. Kak Seto invited children to participate in various interactive activities such as guessing games, quizzes, singing together, to exercises that hone academic skills.

Kak Seto assessed that the enthusiasm of the children was quite high during the trauma healing activity. This can be seen from the active interaction and two-way communication that is established between him and the participants.

The psychologist, who also received the Peace Messenger Award from the UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar in 1987, emphasized the importance of maintaining a consistent child-friendly environment after the natural disaster that occurred in November 2025.

According to him, the creation of a child-friendly environment needs to be carried out comprehensively in the affected areas, especially in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. This step is considered important so that children can immediately recover from the trauma they experience.

The graduate of the Faculty of Psychology, University of Indonesia, added that mental assistance for children cannot be done in a partial way. The involvement of various parties, ranging from families, schools, to the living environment, is an important factor in the recovery process.

Apart from the psychological aspect, Kak Seto also reminded that the basic needs of children who survived the flash floods remained the main concern. He highlighted the condition of the construction of temporary housing which until now has not been fully completed in a number of affected areas.

"Physical needs mean clothing, food, shelter and everything must be met," he said.