DISASTERS leave children facing risks of injury, even death, and diseases due to the breakdown of services such as clean water and sanitation.
Globally, there are 535 million children who live in countries prone to disasters, according to the World Risk Report of 2018. It ranked the Philippines the third most vulnerable to suffer from disasters, next to island nations of Vanuatu and Tonga.
The report takes into account a country’s exposure to natural hazards and its society’s vulnerability. The Philippines fares low in both since it does not have a strong capacity to cope with the negative consequences of natural disasters and a huge segment of population live in disaster-prone areas.
Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan), which struck the Visayan provinces in 2013, has taught the Philippines bitter lessons—mainly, how vital it is to build resilience to reduce people’s vulnerability to disasters. More than 7,000 people died, including children, as a result of Yolanda, billed as the strongest cyclone to hit land.
Prior to Yolanda, more than 11 million school children have been affected by major disasters from 2007 to 2012, based on figures from the Department of Education (DepEd). In 2018, at least 43,810 schools bore the brunt of natural hazards such as harsh typhoons, while 21,949 other schools experienced human-induced hazards.
Partnership
Recognizing the need to build disaster resilience among the young, Save the Children Philippines has partnered with DepEd and Prudence Foundation for the implementation of the three-year Education Safe from Disasters. This is to put in place and automate a management information system to improve disaster management in schools.
The child-rights group also joins the department’s weeklong fair as part of the observance of the National Disaster Resilience Month every July to highlight innovative programs to build disaster resilience in public schools.
The project, launched in January, aims to integrate safety and disaster resiliency in the construction and retrofitting of school buildings. The program will be pilot-tested in 16 schools divisions in Metro Manila.
Lawyer Albert Muyot, chief executive officer of Save the Children Philippines, said safety in schools guarantees children’s rights to survival and basic education.
He said learners’ safety and security must be ensured as they spend six to eight hours in schools while they are away from parents and guardians.
“Children face the harsh impact of disasters and emergencies, as they miss out on school, suffer injury and worse, deaths,” said Muyot.
Save the Children Philippines estimated that 1.5 million children were seriously affected by Yolanda. The group reached more than 800,000 children and adults by providing emergency kits, health and nutrition services and alternative classes to displaced learners through Temporary Learning Spaces.
Muyot said local governments should empower children to protect themselves from hazards as part of a disaster resilience program.
“Disasters such as earthquakes, massive flooding and severe typhoons take a heavy toll on children’s lives, particularly those in deprived and marginalized situations,” he said.
Save the Children Philippines also introduced a program—Batang Empowered and Resilient Team (BERT)—that trains children to become facilitators to help teach other children about risk reduction and resiliency.
The training was first introduced to child survivors of Yolanda to equip themselves with the right knowledge and skills in disaster preparedness. More than 3,000 children in the Visayas have since then become BERT facilitators.
Ashley, then a Grade 5 student from Siempreviva Elementary School in Concepcion, Iloilo, was one of those trained as BERT facilitators. She became quiet and sad after her home and school were damaged by Yolanda.
She subsequently continued school and became a BERT facilitator, which made her more active and outspoken.
“Ashley is very shy and she seldom talks to people, even to our relatives,” said Ashley’s father. After the BERT training, however, his daughter has become more confident and outspoken. “She constantly tells us that we should always be prepared in times of calamities and that a ‘Go Bag’ should always be ready in case we need to evacuate,” Ashley’s father told Save the Children Philippines.
The BERT training was also introduced to children in Mindanao who face various disaster risks and hazards from the lingering armed conflict.
At least 6,555 children in remote areas in Mindanao who are vulnerable to disasters and the impact of armed conflict were also trained as BERT child facilitators.
“One of the core principles of children’s rights is to be heard on matters that affect them, including drafting disaster-preparedness plans,” said Muyot.
The training teaches children to differentiate hazards from risks, and educates them on how to respond during emergencies.
The training describes hazards as typhoons, landslides, flash floods, earthquakes, fires (bush fire due to the slash-and-burn practice and household fire as they use firewood for cooking).
At the same time, children in Mindanao are being trained to protect themselves from risks of armed conflict.
Children are trained to identify the risks that they are exposed to in schools and at home, and how to avoid them.
Also, children learn what to do before, during and after a disaster. This includes essential things they should put in their Go Bag (example: water, flashlight, etc.).
The program also teaches children hygiene and sanitation, including proper hand washing to prevent water-borne diseases like diarrhea.
Through BERT training, children also learn oral health or the proper way of tooth brushing, and what food to avoid to prevent plaque and tooth decay.
The Region 12 office of of DepEd found the BERT training an effective tool to empower children from hazards and risks, and issued a memorandum adopting the module in all schools in the region.
Save the Children Philippines has advocated the passage of Republic Act 10821, or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, which mandates national and local government agencies to implement and sustain a comprehensive emergency program to protect children from disasters and emergencies.
The law prioritizes the protection of children, pregnant and lactating mothers during disaster and emergency situations. It also prevents the extended use of schools as evacuation centers to allow children to resume classes.
The BERT training is also given in the mother tongue to seven community-based schools with children from indigenous peoples like B’laan and Tagkaulo.
At the core of the disaster-resilience plans of the government is ensuring child survival and protection from the impact of emergencies.
However, Save the Children Philippines believes every child has the right to be heard and be part of drafting measures that affect them, which include disaster-resilience plans.
Estrella Torres is Head of Media and Communication at Save the Children Philippines.
Image credits: AP/Wally Santana, JEROME BALINTON/SAVE THE CHILDREN