UNICEF Week 7

WEEK 7: PHILIPPINES

Share with your colleagues the area of the world you chose and why. I chose to look at the Philippines because as a child I sponsored a child who lived in the Philippines. His name was Manuel and I recently told the story to my children about sponsoring him and what that means. For this assignment, I took the opportunity to show my children photographs from the UNICEF website about the Philippines. It was very interesting to them to see children around their ages and what those children had to do each day.

Describe in detail some of the challenges that children in this region of the world are confronting. The children in this country are facing recovery from tropical storms. This recovery includes rebuilding homes and farming areas. This area is also plagued with sicknesses. Children’s curriculum is now including daily teeth brushing and hand washing to try to reduce the transfer of these illnesses that can be fatal such as diarrhea and malnutrition.

Explain how these experiences might have an effect on children’s emotional wellbeing and development. Many schools were destroyed during the tropical storms and many children miss school because of sickness (such as diarrhea or malnutrition). The UNICEF website did not specify what illnesses (that have diarrhea as a symptom) are a chronic problem. However, they did state that hand washing in clean water was helping. The UNICEF website also stated that many children did not have enough food and suffered the many complications from malnutrition. “UNICEF expressed great concern over the growing number of children and families affected by storm Ondoy, which dumped a months worth of rain in 12 hours, flooding 25 per cent of Metro Manila and affecting more than 24 provinces around the country” (UNICEF, n.d.). Many families are now living in some of the only buildings that survived the storms. In this area, I can see how education is not really the main issue right now. Instead, families are worried about survival. I must say that prior to reading this UNICEF information, I did not know much about the storm that is causing such devastation in the Philippines. (I believe that my children learned a lot from this website. My son, Noah, prayed for the families this morning and I hope that they learned a valuable lesson.)

Include a personal and professional reflection. Explain the insights you gained and the influences they may have on you as a person and as an early childhood professional. I think that one important insight that I was reminded of from this lesson is that sometimes families are dealing with issues much, much bigger than school assignments or lessons. It is important to talk with families and learn about them. As a developmental therapist, I will need to be accommodating to their scheduling needs and if they wish to meet outside the home due to issues at home. For example, if a family does not have electricity, they may want to have the developmental therapy session outside. It is important to for a good rapport with the family and become acquainted with local agencies that can support a family’s needs.

References UNICEF (n.d.). Retrieved from www.unicef.com.