Post by Gina Gabelia
One of the many casualties of the
earthquakes are schools and classrooms.
It is critical to construct temporary schools and/or Child Friendly
Spaces (CFS) concurrently with relief efforts; children's physical and
emotional well-being and recovery rely on their regular access to safe spaces
to be free from harm, receive proper meals and clean water, medical attention,
and freedom to be a child (3). 28,570 classrooms were damaged and 12,440
classrooms were destroyed in 31 districts (1).
Schools that escaped damage or destruction have been commissioned as
homeless shelters, or community and aid distribution centers; it is not clear
if these spaces will revert to their original purpose when school resumes on
May 31 (2). Due to the damaged and
destroyed classroom spaces approximately 870,000 children will not be able to
resume school (1). Education experts
expect temporary schools can be up and running as soon as sufficient temporary
or alternative spaces, supplies, and teachers are available, but it could take
up to two years to reconstruct all the damaged schools (4).
Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) staffed by
teachers, caring adults, and community leaders have been established in 109
communities, serving 109,000 children (1).
All affected communities and temporary settlements need CFS to give
children supervised structure to safely play, learn, engage in age appropriate
activities, and begin to process their traumatic experiences (3). CFS double as messaging centers to deliver
critical information about safe health practices, including messaging about
hygiene, trafficking, nutrition, and recovery efforts. Children are at increased risk of
trafficking and exploitation as traffickers prey on disrupted communities and
desperate individuals in emergency situations (3). CFS, and schools keep children away from
traffickers and other dangers during the day.
An added benefit is that adults are free to attend to the business of
recovery and reconstruction with (minimal) worry, expediting the road to
recovery (3).
As Nepal moves through the stages of
disaster recovery, it is critical not to lose hard won gains or stall progress
by failing to recognize that addressing children's educational and emotional
needs and well-being now defines the nation's future. Before the earthquakes, 95
percent of primary school aged children attended school, up from 64 percent in
1990 (2). Recent events set back two
decades of steady progress. Child
advocates warn of the challenges of recovering academic progress and behavioral
development caused by interrupted education; children may never catch up to
level appropriate academic performance and subsequently decide not to try as it
becomes too hard (2). This is compounded
by the extent of devastation and amount of labor required to restore homes and
communities, which could take priority over school reconstruction and
attendance (2). However, education is
tantamount to sustainable development.
This reconstruction period is a unique opportunity to integrate quality
education into the fabric of daily life by rebuilding educational spaces
alongside houses, and providing school resources alongside food, medical, and
WASH relief supplies.
Children must have consistent access to
a safe space to learn, grow, and develop as humans capable of fulfilling the
responsibility to build a better future for themselves and their country. Children must have a safe
space to learn to read the histories of their ancestors, understand the
mysteries of the world around them, and gain the physical tools necessary to
dream and build a stable, sustainable future in which they are not reliant on
foreign aid and emergency teams for their very survival. Children must have a space to be children, to
play, to learn, to escape from the terror and destruction that overtook their
daily lives. Nepal's future depends on
it.
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