Eileen is Programmes Co-ordinator for the overseas development agency World Vision Ireland. Based in Nairobi in Kenya, she supports programmes funded by Irish child sponsors and the Irish Government. Here she reports on her experiences, living and working in East Africa.

Showing posts with label trauma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trauma. Show all posts

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Child Friendly Spaces in Haiti

World Vision Ireland doesn't just run development programmes in Africa. We also respond to emergency situations around the world. As soon as the earthquake in Haiti struck we launched an appeal to help the survivors. We raised nearly €100,000 from our supporters and received a grant from Irish Aid for €200,000. As a child focussed agency, we are especially concerned about the wellbeing of children. One of the things we do is we set up special centres for to care for children called ‘Child Friendly Spaces’. Children get to play and learn and really just be kids again for a little while. Counsellors are also on hand to provide support to the children traumatised by what they’ve been through. In Haiti, a lot of the children are still living in temporary camps, they may have lost family, friends and all of their possessions so they really need all the help they can get. This video shows the type of work we do in the Child Friendly Spaces. Hope you like it!