subject: International Charity Supports Filipino Children Affected By Typhoon [print this page] Plan International, the childrens charity which was born out of the turbulence caused by the Spanish Civil War is well known for the work it does around the globe helping poor and vulnerable boys and girls. It usually deals with issues such as hunger, child brides and lack of access to education. However, there is no limit to the specific problems it is prepared to tackle.
For example, thousands of children in the Philippines are suffering from post-traumatic stress following a severe tropical storm which struck the island of Mindanao at the end of last year.
The experience of an 11 year-old boy, Jerome, is typical of what local youngsters had to endure. He survived the typhoon by clinging to a log for hours, returning only to find that his house had been washed away. "Every time it rains I'm afraid that it's happening all over again. It feels like a nightmare he says.
He is just one of over 430,000 young people who have been left homeless by the flooding cause by Typhoon Washi. Also known as Typhoon Sendong, the storm resulted in heavy rains and flash floods on 16th December 2011, affecting 624,600 people on Mindanao.
Plan is working with nurses in the Philippines in order to support children like Jerome who have been affected. Through collaboration with the Philippines Nurses Association (PNA) the organisation is providing psycho-social support or emotional first aid to children suffering from stress.
By engaging children in activities that help them to deal with their distressing experiences, and giving them opportunities for creative self-expression, Plan has helped over 700 children deal with the emotional effects of the disaster. It is expecting to reach an additional 1,000 children and 160 adults as it delivers more psycho-social sessions with the help of 75 volunteer nurses from local universities.
As well as providing this type of support, Plans response work in the area also includes efforts to get children back to school and it has already distributed back-to-school packs to around 5,000 school children. In addition, the charity is working with communities to rebuild healthcare facilities that were damaged by the floods and has equipped over 2,000 children so far with hygiene kits.
by: Brendan Wilde
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