The
one stressor that comes to mind is natural disaster. A friend of mind
experienced a hurricane as a child while in school. This was a very traumatic
and devastating experience for all of her classmates. Experiencing a hurricane is a frightening
and devastating experience that can be long lasting and distressing. In many
cases an entire community can be impacted, further undermining a child’s sense
of security and normalcy. Their school was destroyed and some of the students
were hurt which really took a tool on her. Hurricanes present a variety of
unique issues and coping challenges, including issues associated with the need
to relocate when their home and/or community have been destroyed. This was
indeed the case with her. Her family lost everything and this was very
distressing on the entire family. The family was without a place to live, food,
water, clothing, and just had no idea how they would make it.
She compensated by looking to adults in her life for guidance on how to manage her reactions after the immediate danger was over. There were also teachers and caregivers who played a role in helping her cope with the aftermath. They reassure her that everything would be okay. One of the things she remembered most was that everyone was supportive and they helped each other as well as the children understand and cope with their reactions. The school played an important role in providing a stable and familiar environment. Because of this the children were eventually able to return to normal activities and routines which enabled them an opportunity to transform from a frightening event into a learning experience. If it had not been for the adults in her life she has no idea what she would have one. The school contacted a mental health professional to assist children exhibiting significant changes in behavior, including being exposed to the actual event, personal injury, loss of a loved one, level of parental support, being dislocated from their home or community, the level of physical destruction, and pre-existing risks, such as a previous traumatic experience or mental illness.
She compensated by looking to adults in her life for guidance on how to manage her reactions after the immediate danger was over. There were also teachers and caregivers who played a role in helping her cope with the aftermath. They reassure her that everything would be okay. One of the things she remembered most was that everyone was supportive and they helped each other as well as the children understand and cope with their reactions. The school played an important role in providing a stable and familiar environment. Because of this the children were eventually able to return to normal activities and routines which enabled them an opportunity to transform from a frightening event into a learning experience. If it had not been for the adults in her life she has no idea what she would have one. The school contacted a mental health professional to assist children exhibiting significant changes in behavior, including being exposed to the actual event, personal injury, loss of a loved one, level of parental support, being dislocated from their home or community, the level of physical destruction, and pre-existing risks, such as a previous traumatic experience or mental illness.
The children were encouraged to talk about the disaster. I think
that children need
an opportunity to discuss their experiences in a safe and accepting
environment. It is also important that we provide activities that enable
children to discuss their experiences. This may include a range of methods
(both verbal and nonverbal) and incorporate varying projects (e.g., drawing,
stories, music, drama, audio and video recording). Seeking the help of the
school psychologist, counselor, or social worker if you need to will also help
with ideas or managing the conversation. It is good to promote positive coping and problem-solving skills. Activities should
teach children how to apply problem-solving skills to disaster-related
stressors. Encourage children to develop realistic and positive methods
of coping that will increase their ability to manage their anxiety and to
identify which strategies fit with each situation.
The country in the world
that I would like to know more about for which I have special affinity for is
Haiti. A major stressor affecting Haiti’s children is they are starving. Two out of three Haitians face devastating
hunger. The most recent food crisis to hit Haiti is hurting its children
the most, and entire families are suffering from severe hunger and chronic
malnutrition. Three-year-old Sael, (pictured here), hadn’t eaten in over a day
at the time of this photo. His mother, Charitable, who sometimes goes months
without money for food and must beg from neighbors, tried to soothe his hunger
by giving him an empty, plastic spoon to suck on.
Haiti has experienced recurring
natural catastrophes in the past which have strongly dented the country's
development. Due to its large coastal areas, the country is extremely
vulnerable to hurricanes. And Haiti lies on the border between the Caribbean and
the North American continental plate – a region that's extremely prone to
earthquakes. On January 12, 2010, a quake near the capital Port-au-Prince
killed an estimated 220,000 people. Almost a third of the country's population
was affected by the disaster. Three years on, many people continue to suffer
the consequences. From the estimated 1.5 million who became homeless after the
quake, some 350,000 people still live in refugee camps. The reason Haiti was so
badly hit by the disaster and is only slowly getting back on its feet also has
to do with the fact that the country suffers from chronically high levels of
poverty and malnutrition.
Haiti after Hurricane Sandy
Some of the most harrowing
stories coming out of the devastation in Haiti are those of children, alone,
scared and severely injured. Already the country faces the highest rates of
infant and child mortality in the Western hemisphere with diarrhea, respiratory
infections, tuberculosis among the leading causes of death. Children in Haiti also
suffer with HIV/Aids with very few drugs available to treat them.
Children in Haiti face are
incredibly vulnerable to injury, illness and trauma. There is a lot of dust
around, the air quality is poor and there is a high risk of hepatitis A and E,
typhoid fever and diarrhea diseases, which are made worse because of a lack of
water. It is important that they be provided with the emotional support and
improving their coping skills. Since children don't yet have the
intellectual skills to distance themselves like adults the more it's in their
face, and the more people talk about it -at home and at school it starts to
overwhelm them. They don't know what to do or how to handle the enormous
feelings and fears that arise.
Minimize impact by minimizing exposure, especially for young children. While
teens do have the intellectual skills to make better sense of it, minimizing
exposure is also in their best interests. As adults we have trouble integrating
what is happening, and we've had many more years of experience. For a child
it's nearly impossible, and for a teen it's extremely challenging as well. For all
children it is important to allow them to talk about their feelings and what
they are experiencing.
Foundation for the
Promising Children of Haiti, (FPCH) has made it their ministry to rescue the
orphans of Haiti immediately following the devastating earthquake in January of
2010. Over the past three years FPCH has taken care of over 100 orphans
by providing food, a safe environment and education which has also enabled
basic reading skills. In addition to providing for the orphans, FPCH
enables to means to educate children from the surrounding communities as well. I am very passionate about the children and families in Haiti.
References:
Malkin, E. (2012), Yet Another Blow to Haiti From a
Natural Disaster – Retrieved on November 23, 2013 from:
Foundations for the promising
children of Haiti, Inc. Retrieved on November
23, 2013, from: http://haitichildrenfoundation.org/about/
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