Resuming Schooling Key to Children’s Recovery from Disaster

Getting children back to school as quickly as possible is vital to ensuring their well-being after a catastrophe such as the deadly earthquake in South Asia or the devastation wreaked on Central America by Hurricane Stan.

Recent experience responding to humanitarian emergencies shows that the "safe space" schools provide is a key element to disaster recovery, both for children and for parents and guardians who are often overwhelmed with daily survival tasks. Education must be made a priority in the response, along with elements such as shelter, food, water, sanitation and health care, says Hassan Mohamed, CARE Technical Advisor for Education in Emergencies.

"School can play a critical role by offering structure, stability and hope for the future during a time of crisis, particularly for children and adolescents," says Mohamed. "Survivors also need the tools education can provide as they work to recover and build future economic stability."

CARE staff in disaster-affected communities in Pakistan, India, Guatemala and Honduras are surveying the needs for international humanitarian support for the education sector. Among the key considerations for a sound educational response to disaster:

• Psychosocial Services: In emergencies, unhealthy and traumatic stress can lead to distress in children. Interventions to help support children can include games, sports, oral history projects, arts and performance, and gardening and nature activities.
• Provision of Supplies: Replacement material for educational resources such as books, furniture and student records destroyed or looted in the disaster.
• Training: Preparation for professional teachers and community volunteers to meet new needs posed by disaster, which often means expanding teaching skills beyond traditional methods.
• School Nutrition: If properly administered, school meals or food supplements for families can increase school attendance, and may improve children's nutritional status and academic performance.

Rehabilitation/Reconstruction of Educational Facilities: Where conventional school buildings are not available, securing "safe spaces" for children is vital. Communities should be actively involved in reconstructing schools and take on long-term responsibility for their upkeep. Where possible schools should be built with a view to prevent or minimize damage from future disasters.

CARE works on emergency response, education, and other humanitarian issues in 70 countries worldwide.

 

Media Contacts:

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Atlanta: Rick Perera, CARE, rperera@care.org, (404) 979-9453
Atlanta: Lurma Rackley, CARE, lrackley@care.org, (404) 979-9450