DEATH and destruction are the picture of the world at war. But the suffering of children who are starved to death, bombed and raped remains invisible.
In 1919, British teacher and social activist Eglantyne Jebb saw the terrible human toll of World War I, with millions of children dying of starvation due to food blockades imposed across European borders. She founded Save the Children and began to campaign for the rights of children to be protected in times of conflict.
Jebb wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Children and it was adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. The landmark document was adopted in an extended form by the United Nations and later inspired the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Save the Children has since then become a global movement transforming the lives of more than one billion children in 120 countries including the Philippines.
Centenary
To commemorate its centenary, Save the Children launched the global campaign on “Stop the War on Children” to remind the world that 100 years on, millions of children still suffer from the horrible impact of armed conflict.
The report showed that from 2013 to 2017, the war-induced deaths of children below five years old reached 870,000, five times more than the 175,000 adult fighters who died during the same period.
The report also reveals that 420 million children or 1 in 5 around the world now live in conflict areas, an increase of 30 million from 2016.
In the Philippines, thousands of children are displaced from their homes, miss out on school and suffer psychological stress due to lingering armed conflict in various provinces in Mindanao.
Two years ago, at least 350,000 people were displaced by the five-month-long siege in Marawi City that broke out on May 23, 2017. Of this number, 160,000 are children.
Lawyer Albert Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, said war and armed conflict either disrupt or end childhood as children die in gun battles, are displaced from home, miss out on schools, suffer hunger and sickness, thus losing the chance to have a future.
“The impact of conflict on children is deep, devastating and lifelong,” said Muyot.
Children have fragile bodies and minds, making them vulnerable to the harm done by armed conflict.
Save the Children Philippines has reached out to a total of 21,518 displaced learners by distributing learning and teaching materials and providing psychosocial services to children.
Among the learning and teaching materials distributed are 10 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) kits; 20 teacher kits, 20 teacher tables; 20 teachers’ chairs and 500 student desks.
PHL origins
Save the Children Philippines began its first program in Nueva Valencia in Guimaras to address hunger and malnutrition of children through the Community Based Integrated Rural Development (CBIRD) Program in five barangays. It strengthened people’s access to public services and helped women have their own income by setting up a cooperative and micro credit facility.
In 1986, Save the Children partnered with the National Housing Authority and provided support to families of informal settlers of Metro Manila to acquire land titles and have their own decent homes.
Every year, the lives of around 650,000 children across the Philippines are transformed by Save the Children Philippines by giving them access to education, health and nutrition and protection from all forms of violence.
To address the problem of high dropout rates in primary schools, Save the Children developed early childhood education and development programs as a bridge to formal education system.
Critical to the successes of Save the Children Philippines’ programs was its strong partnership with local communities to address issues in health, education and child protection.
In line with its mission to reach children in the most deprived and marginalized sector, Save the Children started a community health program in the Sulu archipelago with offices in Jolo.
In the early 2000, the organization began its education programs for children and humanitarian assistance program in the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), with offices in Cotabato City.
Save the Children Philippines pioneered a program that engages communities to take an active role in addressing problems of children in conflict with the law through diversion programs to prevent minors from going to police and court procedures.
Naida Pasion, Chief Business Development Officer of Save the Children Philippines, has served the organization for more than 20 years and has witnessed many transformation of lives of children.
“Save the Children has achieved significant changes and impacted the lives of children,” she said, adding that the programs are research-based and address the children’s needs.
The group also advocated the passage of landmark legislations that include the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act of 2016, or Republic Act 10821. This ensures children have full access to humanitarian support in times of disasters and emergencies.
Through implementing agencies such as the Departments of Health and Social Welfare and Development, the law seeks to improve the delivery of assistance to children and other vulnerable groups during disasters and calamities, which includes child-centered trainings for disaster responders and local service providers.
The campaign to end child malnutrition and stunting was also highlighted by the passage of the First 1,000 Days Law, or Republic Act 11149. The law, known as the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act,” was signed by President Duterte on November 29, 2018, and ensures optimum health care for pregnant mothers and children below two years old.
All in all, Muyot said Save the Children Philippines visualizes a world in which every child is safe, healthy and free to learn and enjoy a fulfilling and productive life.
To achieve this, the global community must be relentless in pursuing peace. Failing that, the alternative, as the world saw 100 years ago, is a tragic waste of life even when it had barely just begun.
* Estrella Torres is Head of Media and Communications, Save the Children Philippines
Image credits: JEROME BALINTON/SAVE THE CHILDREN, Save the Children