Schoolchildren as catalysts to hasten ‘Yolanda’ rehabilitation

Young survivors of “Yolanda,” who are families of DepEd teachers and employees. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—After the relief phase in the aftermath of Supertyphoon  “Yolanda,” an international group looks at school and children as catalysts for long-term rehabilitation process.

Tanya Strongman, Philippine representative of Save the Children, believes that the resumption of classes in Eastern Visayas will help children and their families to get back on their feet.

“Schools are fantastic, it provides the perfect opportunity for us to reach out to the children,” said Strongman at the United Nations press briefing Friday afternoon at the RCBC Pllaza in Makati. “Still, our number one priority is to return the kids to school.”

The UN said that of the 1.68 million children displaced by the typhoon, 60 percent to 90 percent of are going back to school in Eastern Visayas.

Strongman said that once the children are back to school, they can be taught of methods on how they and their families can get back to normal life.

“When the children go back to school, we can teach them how to get their lives back on track, how to go back to normalcy, and they can tell their parents what they learned.”

Strongman added that Save the Children is preparing to build temporary learning spaces where children can have a venue to continue schooling while their schools are being rebuilt.

“The temporary learning spaces should not be for long-term solutions,” said Strongman. “We must rebuild the schools so the children can return to their normal lives.”

The Department of Education has reported that 656 schools in Leyte and Samar were flattened by the typhoon.

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