Manila: Aid agencies are placing emphasis on providing assistance to an estimated 14,000 children, who make up about a third of displaced persons affected by tropical storm Washi, in evacuation centres in Northern Mindanao.
Nearly three weeks after Washi (Philippine name ‘Sendong') devastated riverside and low-lying areas in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro, Philippine legislators are calling on the government to heed warnings issued by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) concerning children affected by the floods, particularly those in evacuation centres.
‘Most vulnerable'
The UNISDR said that children living in evacuation centres are most vulnerable, especially when separated from their parents.
Philippine Senator Loren Legarda urged the government to focus on providing food, potable water, basic vitamins, medicine, clothing and ensure proper sanitation of the displaced children.
"As children continue to face threats, particularly to their health and safety, even after Sendong has left the country, the government should prioritise the provision of their basic necessities. Stress de-briefing activities are likewise important to help children cope with the trauma that the devastation had caused them," Legarda, a UNISDR advocate for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, said.
According to Anna Lindenfors, Philippine Country Director for Save the Children, young people who are left to cope with disasters on their own face a range of risks. "When separated from parents, children are frightened, unable to find food and clean water, and are at risk of abuse," she added.
In most cases, children cannot return to school because school buildings are being used as evacuation centres. Tens of thousands of homeless villagers are sheltering in public buildings, including schools, and may remain there for between three to six months, according to the Philippine Office of Civil Defence.
Access to learning
The UN, in its response to Sendong, has pledged through Unicaef (United Nations Children's Fund) to provide as many school-aged children as possible with continued access to safe and secure learning environments in the hardest-hit cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.
Losses caused by Sendong are severe because it swept across towns and villages not normally hit by storms. Three rivers — the Cagayan, Agus and Mandulog — rose rapidly in the early hours of December 17, reaching over three metres in less than an hour in some areas, drowning some people in their sleep.