Champions of Change: From Student Volunteer to Champion of School and Community Preparedness

This interview was conducted in September 2025 by UNDP as part of the regional Tsunami Project, supported by the Government of Japan.

The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami changed Prach Sawangpong’s life forever. He was a student then, witnessing it all unfold before his eyes. When the waves receded, he rushed to join local volunteers. He went to the affected areas and saw the aftermath, the destruction, the loss, and the lives forever changed.

“I went into the scene of dead bodies,” he recalls. “I saw the impact firsthand.”

The images have never left him. What began as a student’s act of compassion became the foundation of a lifelong mission.

Turning memory into mission

Fifteen years later, Prach Sawangpong became a teacher at Rajaprajanugroh 35 School, a boarding school in Khao Lak, Phang Nga province—one of the coastal areas devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. At a boarding school where students live on campus, preparedness is not an option but a daily responsibility. The memory of 2004 continues to guide Prach in his commitment to keeping his students safe.

In 2019, Prach’s school joined the UNDP–Government of Japan regional Tsunami Project, which supports schools across Asia-Pacific to strengthen tsunami preparedness. For Prach, taking part in the Project became a way to turn his personal mission into action, helping his school stay prepared for future tsunamis.

With guidance from the Tsunami Project, Prach led risk assessments around the school grounds, mapped potential evacuation routes, and trained fellow teachers as well as teachers from other schools in tsunami high-risk provinces. Together with students, staff, and local officials, he developed the school’s evacuation plan and conducted tsunami drills, ensuring that measures were inclusive of students with disabilities. Each year, the plan is reviewed and approved by the education committee and cross-checked with the provincial disaster management framework to ensure it remains effective.

“It’s a learning process,” says Prach. “We divide all teachers into different committees, we test the plan, and we revise it accordingly.”

From school preparedness to community safety

What began at Prach’s school later became a model for others. The community began to see the school’s preparedness efforts as a way to protect what mattered most—its people. This commitment soon caught the attention of the provincial governor, who requested that the school’s tsunami evacuation plan be used to complement the provincial preparedness plan.

In June 2025, Rajaprajanugroh 35 School was designated as a temporary evacuation centre for the nearby community, providing safety not only for students but also for residents during emergencies. Prach took the responsibility seriously—drawing on his experience as a leading trainer and teacher through the Project, he learned how to manage the centre while ensuring both safety and continuity of education.

He continues to collaborate closely with local authorities to make preparedness a shared priority, involving more stakeholders and strengthening local resilience in the process.

A legacy of preparedness

From volunteering amid tragedy to leading a model of tsunami preparedness in his province, Prach Sawangpong’s journey embodies the heart of World Tsunami Awareness Day: preparedness saves lives and protects communities. At Rajaprajanugroh 35 School, students and residents now understand the deeper meaning of preparedness—awareness, cooperation, and care for one another.

Through the UNDP–Government of Japan regional Tsunami Project, schools like Rajaprajanugroh 35 have become vital entry points for strengthening community-wide preparedness. Prach’s story stands as a testament to this impact—a reminder that resilience begins with awareness and action.

Originally published by the United Nations Development Programme