Disaster and vulnerable groups of people: "The Voices of Children"

1. Disaster and vulnerable groups of people: "The
Voices of Children”
Maureen D. Ruedas, RSW
Share An Opportunity Philiipines Inc.

2. Share An Opportunity Philippines Inc. (SAO Philippines) is a
Non-Profit Christian relief, development, micro-enterprise and
advocacy organization dedicated to working with children,
families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice;
and to build resilience in all of life

3.  Our Vision
Generation of Filipino children nurtured to their God-given
potentials to serve.
 Our Mission
We depend on God as we lead, equip, network, mobilize the
Church, families, communities and partners to be responsive to
the needs of children at risk.

4.  SAO Philippines currently has 4 programs under its wing:
MAKABATA (MAunlad na Komunidad Angkop sa mga BATA),
a child-centered community development program; the
Resource and Services Development; Communities-Adapt;
and Institutional Building

5. Each year, the country averages 20 typhoons, with five or six
causing significant damage.

6.  Children are among the most vulnerable groups of society in
natural disasters. They are at risk because of their proneness
to injury and their dependence on others for livelihood,
decision-making, and emotional support. Also, they are one of
the most affected and neglected because people think that
they are only children and did not understand the conditions
that they have.

7. Last October 2015, Central North
Luzon areas specifically Pangasinan
was experienced the typhoon Lando.

8. As an organization, we are advocating for
children participation…

9.  Participation, then, is measured by its quality. In terms of community
evaluation, children participation is defined as the involvement of
knowledge development, defining problems, gathering information
and using the results (Checkoway and Richards-Schuster 2003). By
participating in community evaluation, young people can define what
they perceive to be problems, rather than having to accept issues that
have been identified and mediated by adults or authorities. Despite
this progress Chawla (2002) claims that the inclusion of the voices of
children and youth represents a new frontier in participatory policy
development. (Children in a Changing Climate – research Institute of
Development Studies Brighton, Tom Mitchell, Thomas Tanner &
Katharine Haynes)

10. In relation to participatory rights of a child in the disaster mitigation
process, Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC)
guarantees the child’s right to express his or her views freely in
matters affecting the child. Article 12 states:
1. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his
or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters
affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in
accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

11. Similarly, Article 13 of the CRC also protects a child’s right to the
freedom of expression, which includes the right to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas. Article 13 states:
1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right
shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in
print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s
choice.

12. Methods
 The type of research method that used in this study was qualitative
research, specifically interviews and focus-group discussions - part
of a program which Share An Opportunities Philippines Inc. (SAO
Phils) implements; area of implementation. In order to determine
the decision maker’s point of view and to propose strategies for
improving approaches to reduce children vulnerability in future
disasters. The researcher aims to gather an in-depth understanding
of children behavior and participation during and after disaster.

13. Methods
 The respondents in this research are children who will all be coming
from one single location – Asingan Pangasinan City, from the
randomly selected barangays of Sobol, Macalong, and San Vicente
West. The researcher chose the area because of the experience they
had during typhoon Lando last October 2015 and this is the
communities where SAO Phils implements their programs for
children.

14. Results
 Based on the interviews and meetings with the focus group, the
children asked different questions for them to determine their
decision and to propose strategies for improving approaches to
reduce vulnerability in future disasters. These are the following
questions:

15. What are the things you wanted to do by your parents/adults in
times of calamities?
 Bring foods, clothes, medicines, umbrella, flashlights, battery, mini radio,
cellphone, blanket, whistle, rope, chocolates, water, plastic cover for
covering and etc.
 Our family must talk about our meeting place during and after the disaster.
 At early warning, our parents must bring us in an evacuation center like
school, church, covered court and etc.
 Having an improvised floating device that can used during disaster.
 Our parents must obey the rules of the authorities during and after disaster
for our safety.
 Updated by watching and hearing weather news
 Our parents must identify where to get help when we are in danger.

16. What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do
for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after
disaster?
 Survival- Bring foods, clothes,
medicines, umbrella,
flashlights, battery, mini radio,
blanket, whistle, rope,
chocolates, water, plastic
cover for covering and etc.
 Prioritize us in medication,
Prioritize us in relief
operations

17. What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do
for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after
disaster?
 Protection- Bring us in an
evacuation center like school,
church, covered court and etc.
Put early warning devices in
our barangay, our parents
must coordinate and
cooperate to the authorities
during and after disaster for
our safety. Campaigning
against sexually abuse in the
evacuation center.

18. What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do
for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after
disaster?
 Development- Having a
Saturday class, tutorial
class, group study, children
space, reading notes and
books, give us training
about disaster, conducting
counselling for us

19. What do you think that the community (school, government, neighbors etc.) do
for your survival, protection, participation and development during and after
disaster?
 Participation- Give us time
to express our opinion as a
child regarding disaster,
give us position in DRR
committee in our barangay,
include us in the planning
of DRR management in our
barangay

20. What are the safe and unsafe places in your barangay during and
after disaster?
 Safe Places- house, school,
covered court, barangay hall,
and barangay health center
 Unsafe Places- road, electric
post, irrigation, farm, and
bridge

21. Conclusions
 In conclusion, disasters that have occurred in recent years reveal the
necessity of considering the specific needs of children in various
stages of disaster management cycle, especially during and after
the disaster. It is very important that we give them roles and listen
to their voices because they have that capacity to express what they
want and need as a child.

22. Conclusions
 The research indicates that children communicate their views about
the risks they face through a suite of formal and informal ways.
Informal ways included talking with family members, teachers and
friends. Formal ways included linking with teachers through the
School Emergency Committee and Parents, Teachers and
Community Association; linking with adults through the Community
Emergency Committee; and direct liaison with local leaders from
various bodies.

23. Conclusions
 The researcher recommend that the children must become part of
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) committee in their barangay and
school for planning and intervention for the disaster through this
we are allowing them to practice their rights of participation as a
child in their community. This is a community wide dialogue with
children and adults talking and listening to each other. While
participation might be implemented on a regional, national scale
and even international scale, its implementation is focused on the
needs and issues of the local community. Also, conducting more
DRR trainings for empowering and strengthening their capacity in
times of disaster. Empowering the children will help them not to be
at risk in times of calamities.

24. Children sharing ideas, thinking for themselves, expressing their
views effectively, planning, prioritizing and being involved in the
decision making process”.
(Save the Children, 2000: 13)