YANGON, Myanmar, 15 May, 2008 - World Vision is addressing the emotional and physical needs of children impacted by Cyclone Nargis by setting up safe play places where they can regain a sense of normality.
The aid agency is rolling out 37 child-friendly spaces in and around Yangon to help children cope with devastating consequences of the disaster as many children have been left orphaned, injured or vulnerable to disease. World Vision's priority is to ensure all children are safe and to support their recovery.
Some of the estimated 500,000 children affected will be able to play games, gain informal education and share their experiences in a caring and supportive environment facilitated by trained World Vision volunteers.
Samson Jeyakumar, World Vision's child protection specialist, said: "Thousands of children are emotionally vulnerable and may be at risk of psychological trauma after witnessing unimaginable horrors such as losing loved ones and having to flee their homes.
"Child-friendly spaces will enable children to return to some sort of familiarity and help establish a routine, while parents try to deal with the practical realities of displacement."
The agency has set up such spaces in response to previous disasters including the Asian tsunami in 2004 and the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. Its experience has shown that a structured programme of children's activities within a safe environment can help contribute to psychological recovery.
The spaces, catering for up to 100 children each, are being set up in schools, community buildings and other sites. World Vision plans to establish more centres in the Delta area, where tens of thousands of children are displaced from flattened villages and are migrating into areas where they can access food and shelter. Hundreds of orphans are currently staying in monasteries, schools and other buildings.
The UN estimates that at least 1.5 million people have been severely affected by the cyclone. With 32% of Myanmar's population under 18-years-old, more than 480,000 of survivors are likely to be children, who are especially vulnerable in disasters.
World Vision continues to distribute emergency supplies, such as food, clean water and medicine, to more than 100,000 people in Yangon and the Delta region.
For more information please contact:
Laura Blank (in Bangkok)
Mobile: +1646 2452496
Email: lblank@worldvision.org
or
Chris Webster (in Bangkok)
Mobile: +66 854434025
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A mother mourns near the body of her child who was killed when a school building collapsed during an earthquake in the Juyuan county of Dujiangyan, Sichuan province May 13, 2008. ...
