Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/applying-early-childhood-principles-in-extraordinary-circumstances/5010464/
The SituationWhen I arrived in mid August at the center for unaccompanied children in Katale, Zaire, it was already brimming with 600 lost or orphaned children, aged 0-16 years. Within one month, the number had risen to 1,200. The majority were malnourished or sick. The very young ones were particularly at risk. These we targeted for an unusual brand of fostering. Most of the over-threes, however, got better.
My mandate was to deal with the children who were recovering from physical distress. As their bodies convalesced, I was to expedite a different kind of healing - that related to their psycho-social-emotional wounds. There were, firstly, a few obstacles to overcome.
We were not allowed to offer services which were not available in the camps themselves - and that meant no formal educational programs. I had, when I began, no staff to work with and no resources (not even pencil and paper), and no office (or dedicated tent). Meetings and discussions took place in any spare corner of the overcrowded site and were frequently washed out by rain.
The Children
Most of the children did not know anyone, or have anything that belonged to them - including ...