Global Child Winter 2010

Global Child THE MAGAZINE OF PLAN IN AUSTRALIA | Winter 2010

Education – the key to a better life Alternative learning in the Philippines

Natural disasters Tsunami: 5 years on What lies ahead for Haiti Why children are best left with their families

Plus • Meet a miracle worker • Kate Leeming cycles across Africa • Lynette Trot climbs Everest • Shoot Nations photo competition

CONTENTS Education: a basic right for all

By Ian Wishart CEO, Plan International Australia

A

Children draw pictures at a psycho-social support play session in a local school in Crois-des-Bouquets, Haiti, facilitated by Plan youth volunteers.

The Plan story Founded over 70 years ago, Plan is one of the oldest and largest children’s development organisations in the world with no political or religious agendas.

We work at the grassroots in more than 49 developing countries to empower communities to overcome poverty so that children have the opportunity to reach their full potential – and children are encouraged to be actively involved in the process.

We encourage children to be actively involved in improving their communities.

We unite, empower and inspire people around the globe to champion every child’s right to survive, develop to the fullest, be protected from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation and participate fully in family, cultural and social life. Together with our supporters we can transform the world for children.

Transform the world for children

few weeks back I stepped through a door in Cairo and into a Dickensian world much like that of the 19th century. Young children were at work in a dusty, dangerous workshop, cutting timber with high speed bandsaws. Sawdust filled the air, the ground was littered with hazardous scraps of wood and the bandsaws screamed away. A young boy crossed in front of me carrying a pile of rough wood in his bare hands. At any moment I was imagining a child losing a finger or a whole hand in the bandsaws. Gloves, goggles, dust masks, ear plugs and safety barriers were conspicuously absent.

These children should have been in school but the poverty in which their families live means that they have to earn an income.

My feelings toward the workshop proprietor were very mixed. On the one hand, here was a fellow exploiting children to turn a profit. On the other hand, in this massive slum, he was a hero for running a profitable business and providing jobs for needy families.

Under the international convention on the rights of children, it is every child’s right to receive a basic education and to be protected from hazardous and onerous work. Work must not interfere with a child’s access to education and the enjoyment of good health.

Poverty unfortunately remains the largest barrier to children accessing their right to education. Poor families are forced to make a decision between food on the table, or education for their children. Child labour is often the only way to boost the family income to a level that will cover survival needs and in some cases the child’s job may be the only employment the family has.

The global statistics are that 77 million children are out of school, and 44 million of these are girls. UNICEF also estimates that 158 million children aged 5 to 14 are in child labour worldwide.

Clearly the situation for millions of children is unacceptable and a denial of their basic rights.

Furthermore, education is one of the keys to escaping poverty. So not only are these children denied an education, they are almost certainly consigned to another generation of hardship.

This is where Plan comes in. We strive to find ways for children to achieve their potential.

This means making it possible for children to gain a basic education. We work at the front lines where children are out of school, often working to survive, and we seek to turn that situation around. It takes time and doesn’t happen overnight but together with the community we find ways to make education possible.

Sometimes this involves building schools, sometimes training teachers and at other times lobbying governments to abolish school fees.

With children in employment matters are often very tricky. Making sure children transition from workplace to school without ending up on the street or in prostitution is a huge challenge.

We value the support you provide for our vital work. Children deserve a better future and with your help Plan will keep on working until every child does indeed gain access to basic education.

In this issue of Global Child we explore the reasons why education can liberate children from a life of poverty. We also report on the recent earthquake in Haiti, the generosity of the Australian public in their response, and Plan’s involvement in the recovery process – a major component of which will be getting children back into school so that they may benefit from the opportunities that education brings.

Production of this issue of Global Child has been carbon offset saving 19,715 kg’s of CO2. The methodology & carbon factors used to measure the resulting CO2 calculation are based on best practice independent & published academic research. The carbon factors used for the paper component of the calculation is also based on a Gaia commissioned review conducted by Centre for Design RMIT University July 2009.

winter 2010

COMMUNITY NEWS 4 Friends of Plan – fundraising for Haiti With Plan, Accor is making a difference Rotary taps into Timor-Leste SchoolAid takes action for Haiti 5 Breaking the Cycle Climbing Mt Everest in support of Plan Win a trip to Machu Picchu

PLAN IN ACTION 6 Rising above the Tsunami 10 The key to helping children achieve their potential 12 Miracle worker 13 Innovative education in the Philippines SUPPORTERS IN FOCUS 14 Community visit: India 15 Community visit: Cambodia Carey students put life in perspective THE VOICE OF YOUTH 16 Shoot Nations GLOBAL LEARNING 18 Finding the right Plan 20 Children are best left with their families PLAN NEWS 22 An update on Haiti 2009 Annual Report summary 23 Reflecting on the Commonwealth Games Goodwill partnership Tell us what you think!

Because I am a Girl 2010

Global Child Winter (May) 2010, Vol.29. Global Child is the magazine of Plan International Australia and is published biannually.

Editorial enquiries: editor@plan.org.au Plan International Australia Address: 1/533 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3001. Phone: 13 PLAN (13 7526) Fax: 03 9670 1130 Email: info@plan.org.au Web: www.plan.org.au To support a Plan visit www.plan.or.au. Donations to Plan of $2 or more are tax deductible.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Plan. © 2010. All material in Global Child is under copyright; however, articles and photographs may be reproduced with permission from Plan. Plan is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct and is a trusted recipient of funding from AusAID – the Australian Government Agency for International Development. Plan International Australia is governed by a Board of Directors comprising: Anne Skipper AM (Chair), Margaret Winn (Deputy Chair), Suzanne Bell, Tim Beresford, Philip Endersbee, Russell Gordon, Claire Hatton, Jeremy Ingall, Thomas Kane, Neil Thompson and Brian Babington.

Photo credits Front cover: a student writes on the classroom blackboard at school, West Africa.

Photographer: Mark Read All images © Plan International

The Magazine of Plan in Australia Global Child 3

community news

community news With Plan, Accor is making a difference

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Children draw pictures at a psycho-social support play session in a local school in Crois-des-Bouquets, facilitated by Plan youth volunteers.

Friends of Plan – fundraising for Haiti Online fundraising is a new way for everyday people to fundraise for a cause.

Through online fundraising people are able to create a personalised appeal page, invite friends and family to contribute funds and, in so doing, increase the number of contributors and raise awareness.

When the earthquake struck in Haiti, Plan supporters contacted the Australian National Office asking what assistance they could provide. Online fundraising was an ideal means by which those interested could lend a hand. Through the support of 26 committed online fundraisers, over $10,000 in aid was generated.

One Plan supporter, Sally Johnson, who raised $1650, told how she had been affected by the earthquake: ‘Like me you are probably feeling a sense of shock and hopelessness as you watch news items showing the devastating aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Like me you might have wondered where best to send some funds.’

Sally asked friends and family to give as much as they could, mindful that even a small amount of money can go a long way.

Those who donated were also able to leave messages of support.

The success of online fundraising in collecting much needed funds for Haiti is a testament to the dedication of the Friends of Plan. It presents an exciting way to connect with a wider community, while coordinating fundraising efforts.

For more information on online fundraising, visit www.plan.org.au/ beapartofit/support_projects/fundraise

or the fourth year in a row Accor Hospitality has generously donated to a Plan Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program in lieu of Christmas gifts.

In 2009, Accor contributed $21,700 to an ECCD Priority Project in India, which works to strengthen and extend services so that children living in the most difficult circumstances do not miss out.

To engage staff in the partnership, Accor conducted a competition among staff and hotels whereby those who sponsored a child with Plan were in the running to win a trip to meet their sponsored child. In February, the winning hotel, the Mercure Melbourne on Spring Street, chose Executive Housekeeper Carla Rodas to represent them as a reward for her 18 years service. She will soon be leaving to visit the Mercure’s sponsored child, 12-year-old Catylen*, in her community in the Philippines.

Accor Australia Vice President, Simon McGrath, agreed that teaming up with Plan was a positive experience all round. ‘All parties benefited from this initiative and we couldn’t be more pleased with the support shown by

Rotary taps into Timor-Leste Plan is proud to partner with Rotary District 9520.

The District covers parts of four Australian states (South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria) and has roughly 1600 Rotarians – the name for members of Rotary International – in 57 Clubs.

Rotary District 9520 is fully funding the material costs for Plan’s Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project in three communities in Timor-Leste. This support will enable Plan to improve the health of children, their families and communities by delivering sustainable, community-managed water and sanitation services.

Don Richardson, Chair of the District 9520 Timor-Leste Project Committee, says: ‘District 9520 is helping improve the lives of communities in Timor-Leste through the provision of basic water and sanitation infrastructure that we, in the developed world, often take for granted. We are pleased to

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Carla Rodas, who will visit the Mercure Melbourne’s sponsored child in the Philippines this year and Simon McGrath, Vice President Australia Accor Asia Pacific.

our staff and the increase in awareness of Plan’s work,’ he said.

‘While Carla will enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of visiting the hotel’s sponsored child, as a result of this initiative many of our staff will now experience the ultimate reward of sponsoring a child and being part of their lives and the development of their community.’

Accor plans to continue to actively promote Plan and communicate regular updates on new initiatives. * Names have been changed for child protection reasons

have formed a partnership with Plan and look forward to working together. The provision of safe water and sanitation is an essential first step to reducing child mortality rates and helping families alleviate the poverty cycle.’

Plan looks forward to a continuing partnership with Rotary and its many volunteers. Through such efforts, water and sanitation improvements in developing countries like Timor-Leste will provide children with a healthier environment and give them the opportunity to reach their full potential.

SchoolAid takes action for Haiti

In response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti, SchoolAid launched a Haiti Earthquake Emergency Appeal in partnership with Plan International Australia and Save the Children. The non-profit organisation, which provides resources to schools, urged principals, teachers, students and parents to demonstrate their support. winter 2010

‘SchoolAid joins with the rest of the world in expressing our horror at the recent disaster in Haiti,’ says SchoolAid founder and former school principal, Sean Gordon.

‘Children are often the most vulnerable in disasters like this, with families, homes, schools and communities torn apart. The most important step is to restore children’s lives to some sort of routine as soon as possible. This is most often in the form of helping them return to school.’

‘SchoolAid believes that children have an innate sense of compassion and empathy, particularly for other children. We provide children with the means to engage with other children around the world – kids helping kids – and to turn their fundraising efforts into genuine, engaged philanthropy.’

To get your school or your child’s school involved in this initiative please go to www. schoolaid.org.au to find out more.

WIN a trip to Machu Picchu, Peru!

Global Cafe Direct Fairtrade and Organic Coffee are giving you the opportunity to WIN a Latin American Experience!

The winner and a friend will visit Machu Picchu and a Fairtrade Coffee Plantation in Peru. This is the second year Global Cafe Direct has run a competition to visit one of the Plan program countries that they support. This year monies donated will go towards Plan’s emergency response

to torrential floods in Cusco, Peru which have left thousands homeless and facing food shortages with most crops destroyed.

You can help support the people of Peru and go in the running to win an incredible adventure there simply by purchasing Global Cafe Direct Fairtrade and organic coffee, available in Coles and Woolworths.

Visit www.globalcafedirect.com for more details. Competition closes 31/07/2010.

Breaking the Cycle

Australian adventure cyclist Kate Leeming is visiting Plan-supported communities as part of her epic 20,000 km journey across Africa from east to west.

The expedition, called Breaking the Cycle, reflects Kate’s aim of learning more about the causes and consequences of extreme poverty, and what is being done to bring about positive change.

Kate set off from Dakar in Senegal in midOctober, and has since ridden thousands of gruelling kilometres through Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and more. The expedition will finish in Somalia in East Africa sometime in July or August 2010.

Plan is the main NGO partner for Breaking the Cycle, and so far Kate has visited some of our projects in Burkina Faso and Cameroon, with plans for further visits in Zambia.

Kate is writing regular diary entries about her experiences and uploading photos and videos to the Breaking the Cycle website, and her small team includes a cameraman who is filming for a documentary.

Kate has previously completed massive record-breaking bicycle rides around Australia and across Siberia.

Breaking the Cycle is an official activity of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and Kate has also partnered with the Victorian Department of Education, which has developed a curriculum stream and website for schools based on her journey.

To read Kate’s diary entries and find out more about Breaking the Cycle, go to www. winter 2010

btcycle.com. To find out more about the Breaking the Cycle schools program, go to www.breakingthecycleafrica.ning.com

Climbing Mt Everest in support of Plan

Seven years ago Lynette Trott had never attempted rock climbing. Now, in the first half of 2010, she will take on the ultimate challenge: Mount Everest.

The Adelaide-based accountant, who sponsors two children through Plan, dared to dream about all that she wanted to achieve in life and asked a few experts what it would take to climb the world’s highest summit.

Lynette was expecting to be quickly dismissed, but instead was given a list of things that she would need to do in order to achieve her goal. Seven years later, there’s only one thing left on her list.

After hearing about Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign, Lynette decided she wanted to use her climb to help raise awareness.

In recent months Lynette has been on the public speaking trail, talking about her support for Plan and ‘Because I am a Girl’, and has also received some great coverage in the South Australian media.

Lynette left Australia for Nepal in March, and visited a Plan-supported Nepalese

community in early April. She will make her attempt on Everest in late May. She will also hoist Plan’s flag imprinted with the name of the campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’, on the top of the world in a bid to spread the message of equal rights for girls. As Lynette says, ‘I was lucky enough to be born in Australia to wonderful parents and this allowed me to follow my dream to climb Mount Everest. For some girls their “Everest” is to get a clean, safe drink of water, or get an education. This shouldn’t be down to luck of birth. Every girl should have the opportunities I have had. It is my hope that my climb can raise awareness of the ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.’

To find out more about Lynette Trott’s climb up Mount Everest and to follow her journey, go to www.waytoeverest.com

Lynette during her ascent of Mount Manaslu, Nepal, the eighth highest mountain the world at 8156 m.

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plan in action

Rising above the Tsunami It has been over five years since the Indian Ocean tsunami swept over Asia, causing death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. As with any disaster of this magnitude, aid agencies rushed in, doing what they could to help the survivors get through those first harrowing days and weeks. Following this, the long-term recovery of communities has been a sustained effort over months and years, with recovery from the emotional trauma being a key element of the rebuilding process.

Since 2004, Plan has worked side by side with children and their families affected by the tsunami to rebuild lives, communities and futures. Through innovative projects and activities, we have empowered young people to take active roles in their recovery and regain the happiness and innocence that are essential to childhood.

Here, we look at four special projects that have helped children in tsunami-affected areas get back on their feet.

INDIA

Lives lost: 12,405 dead; 5640 missing Houses destroyed or damaged: more than 100,000 Internally displaced persons: 647,599 People assisted by Plan: 300,000 Plan India received $12.6 million in tsunami funding, which helped survivors rebuild their lives and communities. Beyond constructing schools and homes, we helped children heal and make new friends through clubs and activities, supported their documentary film project and taught them to conduct an audit to see if Plan’s relief assistance reached those most in need. To ensure a safe and secure home life, we helped their parents return to work by providing fishing boats and making their saltwater-contaminated lands once again arable.

Pictures for Life How effective were our relief efforts? Did we reach those most in need? How can we do it better next time?

These are key questions for any organisation responding to a disaster. After the tsunami, Plan and its partner organisation in India, REAL, decided to enlist children to help find the answers, giving them an active and meaningful role in the disaster recovery work in their communities.

Through the Pictures for Life social equity audit, children surveyed more than 700 people from 10 villages, learning the importance of fair distribution of relief assistance, transparency and accountability.

‘We learned how to give surveys and how to take photographs,’ said a boy from Chinnakottaimedu village. ‘We examined whether the relief coming from Plan and REAL after the tsunami went to all the people and reached them in a proper manner.’

Despite the program’s name, photography was not a central part of the program but was simply used as proof that the children had conducted their surveys, helping to ensure the accuracy of the audit.

Plan and REAL selected 38 children, aged 12 to 16, from 10 villages in Nagapattinam district. After a two-day orientation, the group was narrowed down to 25, who then spent 10 days learning how to carry out a survey, as well as the importance of sampling to get an accurate representation of the

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whole population and of faithfully recording all responses as provided by the interviewees.

‘Adults asking these questions would change answers to be more favourable to agencies who work for them,’ said one of the participants. ‘With children doing it, we would only record answers from what we heard. Children won’t be biased, so we can get better answers.’

In one week, the participants collected 4650 responses to questions about childcare centres, relief items, medical camps, water, sanitation, temporary shelters and six other relief- and recovery-related issues.

One community pointed out the irregular placement of drinking water supplies, while others suggested the installation of common drainage systems or electric motors in irrigation systems.

Perhaps most importantly, the Pictures for Life project diverted children’s minds from the mental trauma of the tsunami, got them involved in the community and assessment of the relief work, empowered them and earned them respect from adults. They discovered the confidence to go to new places and meet new people.

‘Now we have more power to rise up and be heard, and elders accept this,’ said a boy from Kallar village. ‘Before, we were not taken seriously.

Even in our homes, our opinions weren’t given much of a priority. After I attended the program, it gave me courage. Now we have much more authority, but we have to fight to protect our rights.’

The survey results were shared with the community through a travelling photo exhibition.

The children’s photos and interviews with program participants can be seen at www.picturesforlife.org.

Children survey adults as part of the Pictures for Life social equity audit.

autumn 2010

INDONESIA Lives lost: 130,736 dead; 37,000 missing Houses destroyed or damaged: 199,766 Internally displaced persons: 565,384 People assisted by Plan: 260,386

Plan Indonesia received $14.6 million in tsunami funding, which helped survivors rebuild their communities, and education and healthcare infrastructure. In addition to constructing homes, libraries and schools, we made great strides in healthcare with new clinics and programs that taught children the importance of personal hygiene and a nutritious diet. We also decided that in order for our work to have wider and longer-lasting impact, we needed to focus on early childhood care and development.

Little Doctors The children had grimy hands and dirty teeth, and their schools were littered with rubbish.

So in addition to helping rebuild a basic health infrastructure after the tsunami, Plan taught children basic hygiene and coached cadres of young ‘Little Doctors’ to help make their communities cleaner and healthier.

‘They didn’t understand why they must wash their hands. They didn’t understand why they should brush their teeth. They didn’t care about their school. There was rubbish everywhere, and they did not even have a rubbish bin,’ said Ibu Yuli, who headed Plan’s health education program in Aceh.

When Plan first started working in Aceh after the tsunami, we encountered serious health problems, so we delivered emergency water supplies for some 40,000 people, and provided nutritional supplements when food was unreliable. We constructed, equipped and trained staff for 39 village health posts, as well as 25 maternal care clinics.

Through the child-centred Little Doctors program, we turned to 4th to 6th grade students at 12 schools – 20 children per school – to raise awareness about personal hygiene, cleanliness of the surrounding environment and nutrition.

The results of all our combined efforts were astounding. Monitoring the prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia and diarrhoea among children and pregnant women for two years after the tsunami, we found that severe malnutrition was eliminated and moderate

autumn 2010

malnutrition rates had decreased from 15.4 per cent to 2.7 per cent.

The Little Doctor trainees learned through games and lessons to check that their classmates trimmed their nails, brushed their teeth, washed their hands, bathed regularly and wore shoes. They also provided limited first aid, monitored the height and weight of fellow students and brought other students together to pick up garbage and clean their school and community.

The challenge now is for the children to pass these habits on to adults in the community, and to their teachers, who, said Ibu Yuli, were her most challenging students.

Plan trained a total of 85 teachers and supervisors. ‘It was difficult to train the teachers.

The children were happy because they learned through games, and it was new for them,’ she said. ‘For the teachers, it was also new, but it was hard to change their behaviour because they had already worked at their schools under these conditions for a long time. They would say, “It’s fine. Why should we change our behaviour?”’

However, with children acting as the catalysts for change, it was possible to make great strides towards creating healthier communities.

When Ibu Yuli later returned to visit the schools, the students ran up to her and told her, ‘Sister, look – my nails and my hands are clean. We have regular cleanup for our school, and we cut our nails every Friday.’

Some of the children now dream that one day they will earn medical degrees and help their communities as real doctors.

‘

With children acting as the catalysts for change, it was possible to make great strides towards creating healthier communities.

’

Little Doctor trainees help to keep each other healthy with regular teeth checks.

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plan in action

SRI LANKA

Lives lost: 35,322 dead; 12,091 missing Houses destroyed or damaged: 105,293 Internally displaced persons: 516,150 People assisted by Plan: approximately 450,000

The Happy/Sad Letterbox

Above: A child’s drawing depicting family being engulfed in a tsunami wave.

Below: Children were encouraged to write out their problems and drop them inside these bright blue letterboxes.

Many children do not feel comfortable expressing difficult issues or complaints directly, so when the tsunami ploughed upon their shores, Plan in Sri Lanka decided to encourage children to instead write out their feelings, problems, needs and ideas and drop them inside the Happy/Sad Letterbox.

These bright blue boxes, decorated with cartoons of children placing their own letters into the slot, were placed in 64 schools in Hambantota, one of the hardest hit districts on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The box invites children to write in their concerns with a message that requests of them simply, ‘tell us why you are happy or sad’.

The letterboxes proved to be a crucial helpline.

Although children at first submitted many requests for material items, gradually they began expressing needs that were closer to their hearts. Teachers and counsellors, who received training on how to respond discreetly and appropriately to the letters, also helped children with communicating their feelings.

Soon after, the appeals trickled in: ‘I want my mother back,’ wrote an eight-yearold girl who lost her mother in the tsunami. Her mother had gone to the market to buy food for the anniversary of her father’s death when the waves swept over her. The girl moved in with her grandmother, who treated her poorly. The school met with the grandmother, making the girl’s life more bearable.

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A 16-year-old girl wrote that after the tsunami, she had not seen her father’s body, so she was still waiting for him to come back.

Some letters were related to the tsunami, but the letterbox became a crucial helpline for others who had trouble at school and in their homes.

Several pleaded for help on behalf of their silently suffering friends.

‘I am in Class IX and I cannot write,’ confessed a 16-year-old boy, who drafted this letter with the help of a friend. A counsellor found that routine classroom instruction could not cater to his learning needs. Several other students were found to need special support, so the school opened a section for slow learners.

‘Please save our friend.’ A 14-year-old girl was being sexually abused by her father. While her father was in jail on suspicion of murder, the girl’s friends reported the abuse, and the school informed authorities. When the father found out, he threatened to kill his wife and daughter when he got out of jail. The mother became angry with the girl, who feared for her life from both mother and father. The girl moved to a children’s home, where she was safe.

Letters such as these prompted Plan to start child abuse awareness programs that informed children and their families of child abuse, their rights and the availability of support services. Plan also helped to strengthen support services and worked with police stations to improve their responsiveness to cases of abuse.

The Happy/Sad Letterbox proved such an effective channel to the children that the program was expanded to a total of 75 schools. By writing letters, students found it easier to reveal issues they might not otherwise say aloud to a teacher. The program improved communication among children, their teachers and their families.

The simple cardboard box was a child-friendly counselling tool that enabled many children to overcome their grief and agony in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, and to carry on with their lives.

‘For a while, I didn’t come to school. Instead, I stayed at home with my mother and sister while ignoring my studies, and I felt very negative. After using the Happy/Sad Box, my feelings changed and I started regularly coming to school. It changed my life,’ said a tenth-grade girl who lost her father and younger brother in the tsunami. ‘Children here don’t open up that easily. We keep to ourselves,’ the girl said. ‘There was a big change in the school community after the Happy/Sad Letterbox.

Children’s ideas were understood through the notes.’

winter 2010

THAILAND

Lives lost: 8212 dead; 2817 missing Houses destroyed or damaged: 9749 Internally displaced persons: 7000 People assisted by Plan: 19,872

Childline Caravan One 12-year-old girl who lost her mother and father to the tsunami refused to let go. When she moved in with relatives, she brought her parents’ pillows and the bed sheets they slept on, refusing to let anyone launder them. She stopped going to school. The bedding became filthy.

Then a Plan-sponsored mobile counselling unit learned of her troubles and went to her home, teaching her to grieve and release the pain of her loss through art and drawing.

With the assistance of the Childline Caravan counsellors, she found the will to return to school and engage in life again.

Childline Caravan, established six months after the December 2004 tsunami, purchased three mini-vans, which were painted by children and adults in a bright collage of child-friendly colours. Thai artists put the finishing touches on the mobile counselling vans.

With three counsellors per mini-van, the Childline Caravan visited 28 schools and two childcare centres in three provinces. During their five-day trips, the counsellors, wearing bright red and yellow t-shirts, engaged the children in art therapy, dance and drama to help them heal.

‘It’s a very useful service for us. It gives the children confidence in speaking, playing, singing, and they like getting the chance to express themselves,’ said Rakkiat Kawpongpaiboon, a teacher at a school that served as a temporary shelter in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami.

The logistics of bringing mass numbers of children to counsellors would have been impossible, so Childline did the opposite. ‘To bring the professionals on the ground to where the kids were – it was effective and we were able to reach incredible numbers of kids. In just the first year, we were able to provide support to 2500 kids,’ said Ilya Smirnoff, the executive director of the Childline Caravan project.

Among the thousands of children they met with, Childline counsellors were able to identify 223 children with psychosocial problems, 162 of whom were referred to other agencies for

winter 2010

appropriate treatment. One of the difficulties in finding those in need was the stigma associated with seeking counselling.

‘Seeing a therapist was considered bad at that time, and people were not so open. We devised a strategy to identify cases, and to provide therapy without singling them out.

They stood out straight away – they don’t take part in activities, they keep quiet, they don’t say anything,’ Smirnoff said.

The organisation also ran a Childline phone counselling service, which fielded hundreds of calls from children looking for scholarships to avoid having to drop out of school, or to express worries about family finances and problems at home. Childline helped 61 children find scholarships and provided counselling support to numerous other children in need.

With support from Plan, Childline assisted children with health care, education and legal matters. Several children from the Moken ethnic minority group of the southern coastal region were not going to school, so Childline spoke to parents about the importance of education.

Many children and families lost their birth certificates and identification cards in the tsunami – and some, like the Moken, never had paperwork to begin with. Childline helped them navigate the lengthy process to regain their identity documents so that they would have access to public healthcare and schools.

For more information about Plan’s recovery projects in tsunami affected regions, visit www.plan-international.org/tsunamirecovery

Above: A mobile counselling unit visited schools in tsunami-affected communities to identify children in need of assistance and therapy.

Below: The counsellors played games with the children.

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plan in action

The key to helping children achieve their potential Helping children to access education involves much more than just building schools. Here, we look at five initiatives in Africa that are helping kids learn.

A scholarship saves a girl’s education

W

hat do single-sex toilets in a school in Ghana have in common with microfinance loan schemes in Burkina Faso? While perhaps not immediately apparent, the answer is education. Plan invests more in education than any other program area and works to ensure that children, young people and adults gain the knowledge and life skills they need in order to realise their full potential.

In 2009, Plan internationally helped train 63,561 teachers and built or rehabilitated 8152 childfriendly schools. Plan recognises, however, that the work cannot end there. Improving the quality of and increasing access to education requires a multi-dimensional approach. With staggeringly large numbers of children out of school, and UNICEF estimates of an even larger number involved in child labour worldwide, the relevance of Child Centred Community Development (CCCD) is evident.

In recognising and working towards the fundamental right of education, Plan undertakes a variety of work that helps to improve educational opportunities for many.

Students engaging in classroom activity in Rwanda.

and poor facilities – including inadequate water for washing, lack of privacy, lack of soap, nonfunctioning toilets and no disposal facilities.

The new toilets have separate facilities for boys and girls, wash rooms that girls can use to change or clean themselves in privacy, plus water and soap.

Rain water is collected from the roof of the sanitary units which makes them completely self-sufficient.

Plan is also working to develop effective education in menstrual hygiene and management to complement the girl-friendly toilets.

Improving girls’ chances in Burkina Faso In Burkina Faso, the education of children and particularly that of girls is considered a key focus point to combat poverty. Over the past three years Plan has led a group of non-government organisations in the implementation of a large education project called the Burkinabè Response to Improve Girls’ Chances To Succeed (BRIGHT).

Working closely with communities and local government, the BRIGHT project ensures that schools have child-friendly classrooms equipped with appropriate furniture and textbooks, a borehole to provide safe water, separate male and female latrine blocks for sanitation, and housing units for teachers. The children also receive a mid-day meal and there is a take-home ration for girls who achieve an attendance rate of 90% or more. Some of the schools also have an on-site childcare centre that allows parents to leave their youngest children under safe supervision and let their older daughters go to school while the parents work in the fields.

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Women from Baroueli, in Mali, attend a microfinance meeting set up with the support of Plan.

Children using a locally made swing at the ECCD centre of Kalake, Mali.

Microfinance loans create a world of possibility

Girl-friendly toilets in Ghana

Plan supports established microfinance loan schemes in many countries with special emphasis on access for women. The savings and loan program in Tanzania, for example, has so far successfully reached out to over 2500 individuals (67% women), providing them with new technical skills and enhancing their entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. This opportunity to improve household income and security helps also to ensure that children are able to attend school and are not required to work to financially support their family.

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Adolescent girls in developing countries are often absent from school due to menstruation-related issues. Monthly absenteeism can be as high as 20 per cent, and for some girls it is often a first step to dropping out of school completely.

However, school attendance in Ghana is improving thanks to a Plan pilot project which has developed girl-friendly toilets in schools across the country.

In consultation with young girls in Ghana, Plan decided to develop the girl-friendly toilets in response to the difficulties facing adolescent schoolgirls, who have to cope with unisex toilets

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The School Improvement Framework The School Improvement Program (SIP) is an important means by which Plan supports and helps ensure a systematic approach in improving the quality of schools. In working toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of Universal Education for all by 2015, Plan’s support of the School Improvement Program helps to make certain that: teachers are competent and motivated; a relevant curriculum is established; and children are properly prepared for school, with a particular emphasis on good health and nutrition and access to early childhood care and development.

Plan’s involvement in these, and many more projects, gives children the opportunity to realise their full potential through access to quality education.

Rama is a 10-year-old girl who lives with her mother and five brothers and sisters in the very remote village of Kourouba, in Kati, Mali. She is in the 3rd grade at the village primary school built with Plan’s support.

Recently, Rama’s education was in jeopardy as it wasn’t considered a family priority. Her mother has been taking care of the six children alone over the last two years, and struggles to meet their daily needs.

She is positive she can’t afford to pay school fees for her eldest two children, especially Rama. ‘I am a day labourer. My only source of income is the money I earn from field work.

That sum is just enough to prepare a meal a day for children.

‘Under these circumstances, it’s impossible to pay the school fees, and to purchase bags and other supplies for them. I made an effort for the older brother, but Rama should stay home to help me with the housework.’

But since 2006, Plan Mali has been implementing a program that supports education for children from poor families by providing them with scholarships. Recipients are chosen by the communities themselves, and 2238 pupils, including 532 in 2009, have already benefited from the scheme.

According to Mr Diakité, Rama’s teacher, it is compulsory for all pupils to get the school supplies before getting to class.

Fortunately for Rama, she was one of the lucky ones and, through receiving a scholarship, was able to obtain her school supplies.

‘She has achieved almost 5 out of 10 as an average in the last monthly testing,’ said Mr Diakité.

‘I urge that the scholarship program be supported as it really helps fight the injustice done to children of poor and marginalised families in the village.’

Rama beamed when she heard the news. ‘My teacher told me that my December exam results were good. He also advised me to do more next time because now I have a bag, exercise books, pencils and a lamp to study in the evening. I am sure I will get into 4th grade next year.’

Rama’s mother hopes to join a village savings and loans group in the future to be able to earn more and pay all of her children’s school fees and supplies.

The Magazine of Plan in Australia Global Child 11

plan in action

Miracle worker

Innovative education in the Phillippines

Supported by Plan as a child, Marie Miracles is giving back to her community so that future generations of Haitian children may have the opportunities that every child deserves.

The education needs of communities are different all around the world. In the Philippines, Plan is implementing a program in ethnic communities that will provide learning in local languages and curriculum that is accredited nationally.

P Marie Miracles proudly displays her support for Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.

T

he deputy mayor of Croix-des-Bouquets in Haiti, who Plan supported through school many years ago, is championing Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign as part of her efforts to rebuild lives after the earthquake.

Of all the money the world will spend to help rebuild Haiti, few investments promise the same return as ensuring that girls have access to quality education.

No need to look any further than Marie Dumay Miracles for absolute proof. Marie grew up in Croixdes-Bouquets, an outlying suburb of Port-au-Prince.

She is one of nine children and her parents were small-scale farmers.

Today, Marie, age 37, is a trained civil engineer and the deputy mayor of Croix-des-Bouquet and therefore number two in command of the town.

‘I specialise in building roads and large buildings.

This is a very valuable skill, especially right now.’

The direction of Marie’s future, as an engineering professional and leader, was first shaped at a young age when Plan became part of her family’s life. Her younger brother became a sponsored child, but the entire family and community benefited.

Plan provided agricultural training for Marie’s parents in more productive farming – their sole source of income. Plan worked with the community to create proper irrigation systems and Marie’s family also received help to improve their living conditions and additional support to send their children to school.

‘With Plan, the family had the chance to send 12 Global Child The Magazine of Plan in Australia

everyone to school. All nine of us finished,’ Marie says, adding that in areas where Plan does not work, children face many obstacles to go to school.

As is the case in many developing countries, girls, in particular, often stay home to help out with household chores, leaving them with few opportunities to participate in their societies’ development.

As for Marie, after finishing secondary school, Plan made it possible for her to complete a one-year course in computer science. Plan then helped her attend university to study engineering. ‘My parents were hard-working but they could not afford to pay for my university,’ she says.

In Croix-des-Bouquets, Marie has taken an active role in coordinating Plan’s activities, which has now expanded from emergency relief to include cash-forwork programs and temporary schools that include girl-friendly sanitation facilities. At a press conference after the earthquake, Marie and the mayor of Croix-des-Bouquet were joined by three Plan Haiti staff members. They spoke jointly to local media about the work Plan is doing to help the community recover in the most effective way possible.

As for her own future, Marie is committed to continuing to lead the work in rebuilding her devastated community. Along with helping Haiti rebuild its roads and structures, she plans to run for Mayor of Croix-des-Bouquet after the current mayor retires.

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lan’s work in the very remote Mangyan communities of Occidental Mindoro, in the Philippines, is helping to ensure that children have access to quality cultural and linguistically relevant education. Children from these communities often miss out on attending school or drop out after the struggle to learn becomes too much.

The Mangyan communities are subsistence farmers proud of their ethnic culture and language. While most adults have not had the opportunity to attend school, many parents consider that education is important for their children. Not only does education help to ease the cycle of poverty, create better opportunities for children and provide employment for local teachers, but it can help with an understanding of issues important to tribal people, such as land rights.

What has been achieved so far?

Plan Philippines has been working with the Mangyan communities of Occidental Mindoro for the past six years. Over this time, it became clear that there was a need to provide ethnicbased educational opportunities facilitated in local languages. Through the Plan-led Alternative Learning Systems Priority Project, sessions were conducted within communities and education modules are being developed following this input by local community members. By offering more relevant education modules, with a national equivalence accreditation, it is anticipated that school attendance rates will improve.

In providing teacher training to 150 Mangyan college graduates over the lifespan of the project, Plan will place Mangyan teachers in their own

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Mangyan children in the classroom

communities, and in some of the lowland schools attended by Mangyan children. The opportunity for these 150 graduates to become teachers registered with the Education Department will also help the project progress as they provide feedback and advice on how to further develop the education modules.

What needs to be done?

During the coming months, the learning modules will be piloted in five communities, each from a different ethnic group, with the intention that they will be launched more widely from July 2010. At this time, a research project will also commence with particular focus on Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in the Mangyan communities. The aim of this research is to provide the framework for an ECCD approach that will complement the primary school program.

Plan International Australia will also continue to support Plan Philippines and the Mangyan communities to improve the primary education learning modules and design some adult vocational education modules. Adult modules will include topics such as literacy, including financial literacy; parenting and early childhood development; health; cultural and social heritage; food security; and livelihoods.

We’ll also organise a technical working group for planning, reviewing and monitoring of the project. The group will include representatives from Mangyan communities, the Department of Education, local government units, teachers and teacher’s assistants, other NGOs and Plan.

Many Mangyan families see education as the answer to their children’s future success.

Local children in a Mangyan village

To find out more about Plan’s project work in the Philippines, visit plan.org.au/ourwork/asia/Philippines

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supporters in focus

supporters in focus

Community visit: Cambodia

Community visit: India

Carolyn Coxhead, a regular volunteer in the Plan National Office, recently took the opportunity to visit her son’s sponsored child, Malis*, during a trip to Cambodia. Having spent time there previously working as volunteers, the chance to visit a new area, to meet a new community and to see some of the work undertaken by Plan and its partners was enlightening for Carolyn and her husband.

The journey to Malis’s remote village, located 100 km from Siem Reap, made evident the challenges faced in educating children in the region. ‘The rice crops were all nearly ready for harvest so as far as the eye could see it was bright green over this flat and fertile land.

We were just stunned to think that almost all of this rice would be harvested by hand. It is no wonder that children are kept home from school to assist with farm work,’ says Carolyn.

Upon arriving in the village, Carolyn and her husband met with Malis, her family and community. ‘Our son and his wife had put together a small book with photos of their family, pictures of Australia, and a map showing Australia and Cambodia. There were pages left for Malis to add photos of our visit

J

une Grainger has been a Plan child sponsor since 1996, and in late 2009 spent ten days visiting three of her four sponsored children in different villages throughout India. She was able to see firsthand the potential for improvement that child sponsorship brings, not only for children, but for their families and wider community.

‘We have seen the confidence gained from our small but regular financial input,’ says June. ‘No longer is India just a drawing on a map. It is now the home of our extended family, consisting of not just four sponsored boys (some of whom are now young men) but also of Plan India project officers working every day to improve conditions for others.’

The first visit involved taking an overnight train from Delhi to Haridwar, followed by lengthy drives on challenging roads to reach the village where their sponsored child, Gopal*, lives with his family. As the first sponsors to ever visit the SBMA-Plan community, they received an enthusiastic welcome.

‘We gave gifts to the family and community and received a wonderfully warm response. We all shared in a lovely meal prepared by the women of the village and very much look forward to witnessing the future evolution of this very new community; from establishment through to an anticipated stage of self sufficiency.’

June and her husband visited two other sponsored children in Hyderabad and Pune. In the village of Nigde, located in the district of Pune, Plan, in partnership with a local NGO has helped increase education standards for tribal students and assisted in establishing a major community irrigation scheme. Once again, June was touched by the level of hospitality upon meeting Suresh* and his family and was equally impressed with the community development that has been fostered.

‘All three communities demonstrated the improvements that are experienced by sponsoring one child per participating family,’ says June. ‘This allows the seeds of education to impart improvements in physical health,

Gopal (centre) and his brothers

living standards and community health. I am truly proud and happy to have contributed in a very small way to helping all communities achieve such positive and empowering results.’

In discussing her motivation for the visit, June says, ‘I wanted to see the boys once I realised that I had helped four communities simply by sending funding to Plan. It seemed fitting that they can see physically that their sponsors do exist, we are interested in them and we are not very different. I realised that if I didn’t make this commitment we would never meet!’ * Children’s names have been changed for child protection reasons

which we will send to her.’

‘On our last visit we had taken toiletries and biscuits which we gave to everyone in the community. I felt that this detracted from the reason for our visit and impeded communication. This time we bought an exercise book and pen or pencil for each of the 413 students at Malis’s school,’ says Carolyn.

‘We also took a packet of balloons which could be made into balloon animals and they proved a great hit with the children.’

‘There seems to have been a lot of recent development by Plan in this community with most new buildings under six months old.

These facilities not only improve the lives of the people who live here but create jobs for others in the area. Clean water is more readily available. Educational opportunities are growing and it was wonderful to observe the children in their new library eagerly taking the chance to read and use five new computers powered through solar energy.’

‘I am pleased that Plan’s child sponsorship is helping to develop the whole community and not just going to one child,’ says Carolyn. ‘This is something our first visit really made clear and

A student plays with the balloons Carolyn brought.

which we now appreciate as being the best way to improve the outcomes for all.’

In offering advice to other child sponsors planning to visit their sponsored child, Carolyn says, ‘This visit will be a very powerful vindication of your decision to sponsor a child.

We can read about the work Plan is doing in the community we sponsor, but to go there and to meet the people and experience their environment leaves a lasting impression.’

Carey students put life in perspective While the experience of growing up is different for children the world over, there are also many things young people have in common. An interest in learning about the world beyond their community, a need to test their boundaries, and a desire to connect with others, are shared by most, if not all, young people. Many schools in Australia recognise this and support Plan, as either child sponsors or contributors, to help their students connect to children in the developing world. Carey Baptist Grammar School, in Melbourne, has been sponsoring a child through a committee of senior students in Moore House since 2001. We spoke to students Ray and Laura to learn more about their involvement with Plan.

Plan: You’ve been supporting Plan for a few years now, why did Carey decide to sponsor a child?

Carey: Well, our school houses support a number of different not-for-profit organisations. Moore House was looking for something that was going to be ongoing and something that would provide a clear focus for our fundraising. Child sponsorship seemed

to be a pretty good idea.

Ray: It has been easy to support Plan through our fundraising. We’ve been selling chocolates for the past few years and we always seem to raise enough to cover our contributions to Jeremiah’s* community.

Plan: Have you learnt much about young people’s experience in the developing world?

Laura: Being involved in this really puts your life in perspective. You can see a clear contrast between your own circumstances and those of young people around the world.

Sponsoring Jeremiah, seeing his photos and writing to him is a really personal connection.

Ray: We usually do some research on what is happening with young people in different countries around the world. I’ve definitely learnt a bit.

Plan: What is the main difference you see between growing up in Australia and growing up in the developing world?

Laura: There is a huge difference in the availability of resources, especially in health and education. We’re pretty fortunate here.

Plan: Why do you think education is

Carey Baptist Grammar School students, Laura and Ray, read a letter received from Jeremiah during a class exercise.

important to young people?

Laura: Being educated is about creating better opportunities for yourself; it’s about providing some choices for your future.

Through our sponsorship we get to do that for another person, which is great!

Plan: If you could pass on a message to Jeremiah about education what would you say to him?

Laura: I’d say take every opportunity you can; participate wherever you can.

Ray: When you have an education you can do what you like with your life.

June (left) standing with Mr Gopal Thapliyal, Project Manager, Mr Ranjit Kaintura, Sponsorship Officer, and all the officers at SBMA-Plan Uttarkashi office.

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The Magazine of Plan in Australia Global Child 15

the voice of youth

Shoot Nations ‘Growing up in the 21st century’ poses questions and challenges for young people the world over – some unique, some shared.

‘I could be free to enjoy life without the expectations of others’ Photographer: Bumble, UK

The 2009 Shoot Nations competition – a joint partnership between Plan UK and Shoot Experience – gave entrants the chance to explore this theme through the medium of photography.

‘I face stereotypes’ Photographer: Julie, USA

‘I can dream of becoming a star, no matter how bad my circumstances are.

The opportunities are endless in the 21st Century’ Photographer: Nellie, South Africa

Drawing inspiration from the ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign, the brief asked entrants aged 11–25 to submit photos, drawings or graphic

‘Nothing can hold us back...’

Photographer: Fahim, Bangladesh

designs that expressed their feelings on: n Because I am a Girl/Because I am a Boy n What’s holding me back? n What could I be?

With more than 2500 thought-provoking and captivating entries from 108 countries, the judging panel were faced with the difficult task of selecting category and age group winners.

‘Let nothing hold you back’ Photographer: Hanny, Switzerland

‘Poverty cannot conquer the simple joys of friendship’ Photographer: Hannah, USA

Here we feature some of the winning and highly commended pieces. A full range of pictures can be seen at: http://shootnations.org.main/main

‘They both want to be doctors with BIG Smiles. Sharing and caring for each other is the secret of a wonderful future.’

Photographer: Zabir, Bangladesh

‘Let me go to school and nothing will hold me back’ Photographer: Ashley, The Netherlands 16 Global Child The Magazine of Plan in Australia

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‘Anything. I just need to decide. There are so many opportunities…’

Photographer: Zuzka, Slovakia

The Magazine of Plan in Australia Global Child 17

global learning

but had not been adopted in such a way that significantly impacted our programming. To address this, a global conference was held in 2003 where Plan formally committed to a rights-based approach to our work.

Children attend an early learning session to help them prepare for the first year of school.

Moving toward a better Plan

Finding the right Plan: Looking back to move forward Even the best laid plans must be adjusted as we grow. Here, we look at where Plan has come from and where we’re going in our approach to development programs.

P

utting children at the centre of what we do is not just a phrase – it’s an approach to our work, which has its origins in the post-World War II era. World events and research mean Plan can combine what we know about poverty with a human rights framework to get results.

The international approach to development is now focused on access to human rights, rather than simply reducing poverty. It is a model that targets the underlying causes of poverty, as opposed to the symptoms. Its premise is that we will not be able to end poverty unless all people have an equal access to human rights. This requires us to look at poverty in terms of social and economic justice, taking it from the arena of charity and placing it squarely within the domain of human rights.

A little history Post World War II, development was becoming an area for international cooperation but was still seen as the domain of economists. At this time human rights instruments were being developed and human rights

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as a field was being expanded, but was considered a job for lawyers. The two fields were evolving along different lines and recommending different practices and justifications for action.

Newly independent nations had experienced the merging of economic and social rights in their struggles for independence. Their efforts to gain economic, social and political rights for their people led to the two fields of development and human rights being united. Since then, development agencies have sought to embed this union in their work.

Plan uses a child rights-based approach. This is framed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which came into force in 1989. The CRC is the most wide-ranging human rights instrument in existence. It covers social, political, cultural and economic rights.

During the mid 1990s, Plan began to re-examine its approach to programming to take account of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2001 Plan acknowledged that the Convention had been agreed as the underpinning framework for the organisation

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Plan is consistently moving towards embedding this approach across the organisation and in 2009 developed a Program Framework which explicitly draws out what it means to be child rights-based and how to plan, implement and monitor programming within this framework.

The model for rights-based programming adopted by Plan has been characterised as Child Centred Community Development (CCCD). CCCD is an approach in which children, families and communities are active and leading participants in their own development. It looks to address structural causes and consequences of poverty

at all levels. We emphasise the participation of children, their families and communities and on building accountability between children and those in positions of power who are responsible for ensuring children’s quality of life.

We work to ensure children, young people and their caregivers are empowered to claim their rights from those in power in order to gain access to all that is needed for children to reach their full potential. This can be tricky; empowering people to claim their rights is, in many cases, a challenge to power dynamics within families and communities. Our approach therefore must include research at the community level to determine what changes are needed and which can be achieved safely.

All this theory is interesting, but how does it actually apply when we begin working with communities? A new project in Indonesia on food security shows quite well how this process starts.

Families receive nutrition information at a community health post.

The project provides resources and trains health post staff in childhood nutrition.

Indonesia Food Security Under-nutrition among children under five years old remains a major issue in Indonesia, particularly in the Eastern provinces. To address this in two target districts Plan is focused on three groups of decision makers: parents, community-based primary health care services and district health bodies.

Evidence shows that under-nutrition occurs not only in areas that face food insecurity, but also in areas where there is enough food at the community level. In such cases malnourishment appears to be related to traditional dietary habits, taboos, cultural issues or social factors. In some cases parents simply didn’t know what to select and how to prepare food to achieve and maintain proper nutrition.

In addition, public expenditure on nutrition programs has declined as a percentage of total health expenditures since the financial crisis. This

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demonstrates a national-level decision process which could be more child-centred.

Since the late 1980s, local community-level health centres have provided a range of services necessary for child survival and development.

Unfortunately, in many places the health centres function poorly, depriving people of their right to basic health services. There are many reasons for this decline. Inadequate human resources, ineffective coordination among stakeholders, poor monitoring systems, limited capacity of staff, and a lack of operational support all have contributed to this situation.

These three areas – family knowledge, government resourcing and under-performing health posts – have been targeted by the project. Through building on existing community knowledge, the project aims to contribute to a reduction in the percentage of children under

five who are classified as undernourished in two target districts. This will be done by: 1 Improving the performance of health centres 2 Increasing capacity of professional health workers to provide nutrition services, such as support to lactating mothers and information for parents 3 Increasing the number of parents/caregivers who have appropriate knowledge and caring practices for children under five, through awareness-raising, establishing peer support groups, and identification and promotion of positive indigenous knowledge and practices.

4 Enhancing local governments’ commitment and investment to nutrition programs at all levels through an advocacy strategy targeting village, district and national levels and supporting the existing coordination groups.

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global learning

Children are best left with their families Amalia Fawcett is a specialist in child protection in emergencies with Plan International Australia.

Following the earthquake disaster in Haiti, stories started to emerge of unaccompanied children being transported across the border, and well-meaning foreigners wanting to adopt children orphaned by the earthquake.

In response to this news, Amalia wrote the following article, which was published in The Age newspaper on 21 January 2010.

‘

T

he horrific situation for Haitian children in the aftermath of the earthquake raises the difficult question of what can be done to make sure they are safe and secure.

Often the easiest solution can be the least appropriate. Even in the hectic environment of emergency response, aid agencies need to ensure that their actions concentrate on the long-term wellbeing of children, rather than looking for a quick fix.

In a country such as Haiti, where 46 per cent of the population is under the age of 18, the way we support their recovery will have ramifications for the nation’s future.

When I’ve come back from previous deployments in my role looking after children in emergencies, I have been asked why we don’t just get children out of the disaster zone and into a country that has the resources to look after them.

When we are confronted by images of death and destruction, this is tempting, but when I talk to disaster-affected communities about how they support their children, it is quickly exposed as the least-appropriate solution.

Based on a wealth of international knowledge about child development and resilience during disasters, we know that children best recover from shock, stress and grief when they are in familiar surroundings and with loved ones. Even during emergencies, a child’s right to be cared for in a family unit of some form, and a family’s right to look after their children, must be preserved.

Yesterday, I spoke to my colleague Dr Unni Krishnan in Haiti about the disaster’s impact on children and he made this point very clear. He was emphatic that removing children from their families and natural environment was harmful and suggested that the international community needed to work to improve the children’s environment, living conditions and future.

Families will often naturally prioritise the needs of their children and instinctively respond to their emotional needs in times of crisis.

In 2007, I was in the Solomon Islands as part of the emergency response to the earthquake

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Experience has taught us that the knee-jerk reaction of removing children from the area or country affected by a disaster often means they are less likely to be reunited with families searching for them back at home.

’

and tsunami that had hit the country. I spent time with a community that had made a game out of teaching children what to do if another earthquake hit. The smiles belied the serious messages and at first glance glossed over the very real benefit of providing tools for children to process their fears and cope with their uncertainty.

When strengths such as these are present in a community, agencies need to build on them to support children, not ignore them. This homegrown solution led to these children being more confident to take some time to relax and be kids – which is essential for long-term emotional recovery.

Even in a disaster, most children will have extended families willing and able to care for them. Long-term care arrangements outside the family or community should therefore not be made during a disaster, and reunification attempts must continue for a significant period of time. This may not be simple to achieve, but putting children at the centre of the earthquake response is crucial.

When children have been separated from their families, local solutions are still often the best solutions. Children who are found to be without any family should have care arrangements that are culturally appropriate.

Many cultures have systems of customary fostering or adoption that allow children to remain

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within their own community. Well-meaning offers to adopt or foster children in other countries ignore the emotional impact of surviving a disaster and grieving for loved ones, only to be plucked from all you know to start a new life in a new place.

Experience has taught us that the knee-jerk

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reaction of removing children from the area or country affected by a disaster often means they are less likely to be reunited with families searching for them back at home.

Children can be resilient when given the right support, and in Haiti, where repeated disasters have pushed resilience to the limit, efforts to ensure that their wellbeing is safeguarded must be amplified. The ideal situation is in a family unit, or something similar.

Obviously, when communities are overwhelmed by a disaster, additional support is needed. But where possible, this should avoid the use of institutions, which not only remove children from their local environments, but also potentially expose them to new dangers. Sadly, abuse is prevalent in many institutions, and oneon-one emotional and developmental stimulation, so important for a child’s healthy development, is often lacking, especially in countries with limited resources.

As aid begins to get through to those who most need it, we must also look for durable and appropriate solutions for unaccompanied and separated children. We must ensure that our actions are in the best interests of the children, not just a quick fix.

If we fail to support communities to look after their children, then we become part of the disaster, rather than part of the recovery.

Above and left: NGOs need to ensure there are appropriate support systems in place in order to avoid children becoming separated – childfriendly spaces like these help relieve pressure on families, ensure children have appropriate activities and enable referrals for extra support take place if needed.

These children are involved in youth facilitated play sessions at a child-friendly space in Haiti.

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Plan news

plan news An update on Haiti

‘D

evastation’. ‘Disaster’. ‘Catastrophe on a scale not known before’. These headlines populated the media in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. As the news unfolded around the world it was clear that the people of Haiti needed as much support as possible.

The January 12th earthquake in Haiti killed more than 230,000 people and displaced more than one million, with children among the most vulnerable. In the months following the quake, Plan International has established a program that, over the next 18 months, will address two key areas: child protection and education, strongly supported by health and livelihoods.

Internationally, Plan has raised more than A$40 million for the people of Haiti, ensuring a long-term commitment to rebuilding the country.

In Australia, the public’s generosity was evident with donations totalling more than $500,000. The Australian Government pledged a further $400,000 to fund Plan’s child protection work in the Jacmel area of Haiti.

Plan’s response to date has included: n food aid distribution n water and sanitation projects n emergency education in the form of temporary schools n child protection, including anti-trafficking projects.

In the months following the earthquake, Plan (together with other agencies) has provided waterproof shelter materials to more than 650,000 people, and this continues to be a priority ahead of the upcoming rainy season.

We have also implemented Child Friendly Spaces to assist families to re-establish routine

in their lives. These areas provide a safe haven for children as they recover from stress, and also allow parents time to begin rebuilding their lives, knowing their children are safe.

More recently, Plan, in partnership with UNICEF, consulted children throughout the country to ensure their voices are heard during current assessments. Their message is clear: they want to get back to school as quickly as possible, pass their exams and get jobs in Haiti. Investing in education is an investment in the future of the country.

Two staff members from Australia have assisted Plan International with the disaster response. They are Glenn Bond, our Program Effectiveness Manager and Penny Jones, who is working as Deputy Emergency Program Manager. Since their deployment, both have commented that the road to recovery will be challenging and conditions for staff and the people of Haiti continue to be difficult.

Plan International recognises this, and having worked in Haiti for 37 years, is committed to the long-term future of the country. We look forward to keeping you up to date on the recovery process in the months and years ahead.

2009 Annual Report summary The 2009 financial year, from July 2008 to June 2009, saw Plan in Australia experience significant growth, despite the global financial crisis. Our total revenue rose to an all-time record of $39.3 million – a 20 per cent increase on last year’s revenue. This is largely thanks to our wonderful supporters, who raised more than half our income by sponsoring children and donating to

our appeals. It is also a fantastic result for children, families and communities in the developing world, as Plan prepares to invest even more in child-centred community development programs.

Plan also spent much of the year preparing to enter into a new partnership agreement with AusAID, which will see our organisation receive increased funding for

Revenue

Expenses $1,745,906

$394,620

$223,643 $5,021,676

$19,655,693

$19,284,180 $32,713,608

n Child sponsorship n Australian Priority Project donations (appeals, other cash donations and grants) n Other (legacies, bequests, investment income and other)

n Overseas projects (includes World Food Program) n Community education n Fundraising costs n Administration

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our programs over the next five years.

As thought leaders in the development sector, Plan made great headway in the 2009 financial year with our continued global campaigning for universal birth registration and an end to violence in schools. The beginning of the financial year also saw the launch of the second Because I am a Girl report, which examined the state of girls in conflict situations around the world and looked at what happens to them before, during and after war – and what can and should be done to protect them. n 41,170 children were sponsored by Australians n Supporters donated more than $620,000 to Plan appeals n Over 400 businesses, big and small, sponsored one or more children through Plan n $32.7 million spent on overseas community development projects Our 2009 Annual Report can be viewed online at www.plan.org.au/mediacentre/ publications

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Reflecting on the Commonwealth Games Goodwill Partnership

Then Sports Minister, Justin Madden, with the youth reporters from Ghana, India and Pakistan.

insight on proceedings. n 165 volunteers representing Plan

The forthcoming 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games offers an ideal opportunity to reflect on the success of the Goodwill Partnership established in 2006 between Plan International Australia and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. ‘Children are our Common Wealth’, was the banner under which the partnership was launched, and the initiative helped to raise awareness of the issues facing developing Commonwealth nations. Together with child sponsorship, the Goodwill Partnership supported four urgent Plan development projects: n Community Learning in Bangladesh n Early Childhood Care and Development in India n Reducing Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in African communities n Pacific Youth Program Various initiatives in the lead up to and throughout the duration of the Games introduced the work of Plan to a new audience, and helped to generate significant interest and support. Highlights of these initiatives included: n Youth reporters from Ghana, India and Pakistan, who were members of Plansupported youth media clubs, travelled to Melbourne and provided an invigorating

assisted at venues throughout the city, contributing close to 2000 hours of voluntary work. These volunteers sold wrist bands, collected donations, and even became the operational stewards of the popular Luminarium at St Kilda Beach. n The sale of the ‘Games Fish’, that had lined the banks of the Yarra for the duration of the Commonwealth Games, raised $46,000 in funds to go towards Plan projects in Commonwealth countries.

Through the Goodwill Partnership, the benefits from the Games have been extended to communities in developing nations throughout the Commonwealth.

Tell us what you think!

At Plan, we’re currently looking at ways to improve Global Child magazine. We’re open to ideas, suggestions and feedback from all supporters, so please get in touch if there’s anything about the magazine that you would like to see changed or improved. As Plan supporters, this magazine is for you – so if you think it could be better, we’d love to hear from you!

Email the editor at editor@plan.org.au

Because I am a Girl 2010 In 2007, Plan began publishing a series of reports titled Because I am a Girl, outlining why millions of girls and young women are being condemned to a life of inequality and poverty.

Because I am a Girl – the State of the World’s Girls was the first in a series of nine reports documenting the dire situation faced by girls throughout their childhood, adolescence and as young women. Subsequent reports released in 2008 and 2009, titled Girls in the Shadow of War and Girls’ Economic Empowerment, highlighted the impact that armed conflict and changing economic trends have on the rights of girls around the world.

On 22 September 2010 Plan International will release the fourth report,

winter 2010

Girls on the Cutting Edge of Change.

As increasing numbers of girls are moving to the cities with their families, young women now have access to global information systems. They are using the internet and email, instant messaging, social networks and mobile phones, yet the report reveals that cyberspace is an area where sexual predators can operate with impunity and girls are prime targets.

Of those living in the city, it is the street girls who face sexual harassment and abuse. The 2010 report looks at the global context for adolescent girls, covering the major challenges they face and why they are particularly vulnerable.

Following a successful campaign launch in Australia last year, work is well

underway to build on the knowledge of the problem at hand and increase awareness to the plight of young girls around the world.

Six of the eight Millennium Development Goals – the goals set by the world’s governments in 2000 to halve world poverty by 2015 – are unlikely to be achieved unless there is greater international commitment to the fight against gender discrimination.

‘Investing in girls is the right thing to do.

It is also the smart thing to do.’

Ngozi Oknojo-Iweala Managing Director of the World Bank To find out how you can support the campaign and spread the word go to www.becauseiamagirl.com.au

The Magazine of Plan in Australia Global Child 23