Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
Responses to young children in post-emergency situations
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members, tn-forces is uniquely<br />
well qualified <strong>to</strong> see the bigger<br />
picture and understand where help<br />
is most needed <strong>in</strong> the context of<br />
government policies and exist<strong>in</strong>g<br />
ngo <strong>in</strong>terventions.<br />
Pho<strong>to</strong>: JIM HOLMES<br />
tn-forces is also <strong>in</strong> a position<br />
<strong>to</strong> foresee how the response <strong>to</strong><br />
the tsunami may be f<strong>in</strong>essed <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong><br />
more last<strong>in</strong>g and widespread<br />
benefits for <strong>children</strong>. tn-forces<br />
has already had some success <strong>in</strong><br />
this regard: <strong>in</strong> the period after<br />
the tsunami, its long campaign<br />
<strong>to</strong> improve maternity benefits for<br />
<strong>in</strong>formal female workers paid off<br />
with a significant <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the<br />
lump-sum paid <strong>to</strong> all women on<br />
the birth of a child. It is hop<strong>in</strong>g<br />
that its <strong>in</strong>tention <strong>to</strong> rebuild the Integrated Child<br />
Development Centres (icds) destroyed along<br />
coastal regions <strong>in</strong> the tsunami will ultimately lead<br />
<strong>to</strong> improvements <strong>in</strong> icds as a whole <strong>in</strong> the state,<br />
serv<strong>in</strong>g as a model <strong>to</strong> other states.<br />
In Thailand, the problem s<strong>in</strong>ce the tsunami has<br />
not been a lack of resources but a lack of overall<br />
coord<strong>in</strong>ation and overview <strong>in</strong> allocat<strong>in</strong>g them.<br />
In some cases, foreigners and benefac<strong>to</strong>rs have<br />
approached <strong>in</strong>dividuals and communities with<br />
money; some schools have been <strong>in</strong>undated with help,<br />
while others have received noth<strong>in</strong>g. The M<strong>in</strong>istry of<br />
Education is well aware of the need for coord<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
and the Foundation <strong>in</strong>tends <strong>to</strong> cooperate with<br />
government plans <strong>to</strong> help channel its response: the<br />
M<strong>in</strong>istry of Education is already work<strong>in</strong>g with the<br />
Department of Mental Health on hold<strong>in</strong>g childcentred<br />
sem<strong>in</strong>ars about the effects of the tsunami.<br />
Additional approaches <strong>in</strong> Thailand will <strong>in</strong>clude<br />
adapt<strong>in</strong>g exist<strong>in</strong>g psychoso cial support structures<br />
set up for hiv/aids <strong>to</strong> deal with the psychosocial<br />
aftermath of the tsunami, and work<strong>in</strong>g with exist<strong>in</strong>g<br />
partner the Maya Art and Cultural Institute for<br />
Development, which works <strong>in</strong> affected prov<strong>in</strong>ces <strong>to</strong><br />
provide <strong>post</strong>-trauma counsell<strong>in</strong>g workshops us<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Arts and Drama Therapy for <strong>children</strong> and teachers,<br />
<strong>in</strong> collaboration with Educational Zone Offices.<br />
Support<strong>in</strong>g parents <strong>in</strong> their caregiv<strong>in</strong>g role is one of the Foundation’s priorities<br />
In Indonesia, while <strong>in</strong>ternational agencies have<br />
established a forum <strong>to</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ate the response,<br />
there is still a need for stronger <strong>in</strong>put from local<br />
governmental and non-governmental organisations.<br />
The Foundation looks <strong>to</strong> collaborate with Save<br />
the Children <strong>in</strong> Aceh <strong>in</strong> retra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g midwives and<br />
promot<strong>in</strong>g birth registration, but will also support<br />
Indonesian agencies respond<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> the needs of<br />
<strong>children</strong> and parents.<br />
This <strong>in</strong>cludes support<strong>in</strong>g the Institute for Women<br />
and Children’s Studies and Development (lsppa),<br />
which <strong>in</strong> collaboration with Gadja Mada University,<br />
the largest university <strong>in</strong> Indonesia, is work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong><br />
ensure that psychosocial support care programmes<br />
do not rema<strong>in</strong> rooted <strong>in</strong> schools and health facilities<br />
but also <strong>in</strong>volve parents – many of whom are<br />
themselves suffer<strong>in</strong>g severe guilt and trauma – and<br />
thereby reach the <strong>young</strong>est <strong>children</strong>. As government<br />
structures take shape mandated <strong>to</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ate<br />
rehabilitation efforts, the Foundation will seek <strong>to</strong><br />
orient its work <strong>to</strong> bigger trends.<br />
Generally, the Foundation is seek<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ate<br />
its efforts with other Dutch and European<br />
foundations, through the Dutch Association of<br />
Foundations and the European Foundation Centre,<br />
and <strong>to</strong> place those efforts with<strong>in</strong> the larger relief<br />
and rehabilitation frameworks be<strong>in</strong>g put <strong>to</strong>gether by<br />
national and <strong>in</strong>ternational agencies.<br />
B e r n a r d v a n L e e r Fo u n d a t i o n 23 E a r l y C h i l d h o o d M a t t e r s • Ju l y 2 0 0 5