According to a statement by the Spokesman for the U.N. Secretary General yesterday, about half a million school children returned to public schools in Lebanon for the start of the school year, which was delayed by one month because of the conflict. Figures from a UNICEF press release, earlier this week, confirm numbers above 400,000.
“Recovery and reconstruction starts with you”, UNICEF Representative, Roberto Laurenti told a group of children gathered for their first official day back at school Monday morning.
Laurenti’s statement signaled the resumption of a daily routine that every child should take for granted. With the aid of national, regional and international donors as well as their many partner agencies on the ground in Lebanon, the process of helping children reconstruct their lives has begun.
What is reconstruction to young Lebanese minds? Is it in a book? Is it in a “School in a Carton” kit? Will seeing their schoolmates again be equivalent to reconstruction and recovery? Roberto Laurenti is counting on it.
There are three challenges to Roberto’s call for reconstruction. In compensation for the more than 50 schools in Lebanon that have been completely destroyed, children are attending school in neighboring villages operating in double shifts when necessary. Schools which were converted to shelters for the displaced after fleeing their homes during the conflict are in need of cleaning and minor repairs and UNICEF has cleaned and disinfected 68 of them.
Another issue of major concern in this process of reconstruction and recovery is that of unexploded ordinances or UXOs, including cluster bomblets. However, no incidents involving UXOs have been reported as of last Monday. As stated in UNICEF’s press release, “schools themselves have been cleared by de-mining authorities (but) UXOs still pose a major threat to children near their homes, in fields and other areas where they travel, play or farm with their parents. UNICEF is supporting extensive mine-risk education programs in schools, in addition to child-friendly public awareness campaigns, that focus on teaching children not to pick up unfamiliar objects.”
Sure to be a lasting and particularly challenging aspect of these reconstruction and recovery efforts, in addition to providing school supplies and “child-friendly public awareness campaigns”, focusing on teaching children about UXOs or “unfamiliar objects” will be equipping teachers with the skill to work with children affected by conflict and crisis, fostering the awareness of and attendance to distressed children and the creation of an environment encouraging children’s psychosocial wellbeing.
“It is heartwarming to see firsthand that children are not only resuming education, but in doing so, also resuming a very important part of normal life”, said Laurenti.
“School in a Carton" kits mark a vital step in the recovery of Lebanon’s children and their families. There is an enormous amount of work ahead as we work together to rebuild, but the faces of the children we saw today remind us that it is possible.”
Elisa Burchett
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report
Please also see:
United Nations Children’s Fund http://www.unicef.org
UNICEF: Number of Palestinian Children Killed Doubles
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout4.php&id=2701&blz=1
“Recovery and reconstruction starts with you”, UNICEF Representative, Roberto Laurenti told a group of children gathered for their first official day back at school Monday morning.
Laurenti’s statement signaled the resumption of a daily routine that every child should take for granted. With the aid of national, regional and international donors as well as their many partner agencies on the ground in Lebanon, the process of helping children reconstruct their lives has begun.
What is reconstruction to young Lebanese minds? Is it in a book? Is it in a “School in a Carton” kit? Will seeing their schoolmates again be equivalent to reconstruction and recovery? Roberto Laurenti is counting on it.
There are three challenges to Roberto’s call for reconstruction. In compensation for the more than 50 schools in Lebanon that have been completely destroyed, children are attending school in neighboring villages operating in double shifts when necessary. Schools which were converted to shelters for the displaced after fleeing their homes during the conflict are in need of cleaning and minor repairs and UNICEF has cleaned and disinfected 68 of them.
Another issue of major concern in this process of reconstruction and recovery is that of unexploded ordinances or UXOs, including cluster bomblets. However, no incidents involving UXOs have been reported as of last Monday. As stated in UNICEF’s press release, “schools themselves have been cleared by de-mining authorities (but) UXOs still pose a major threat to children near their homes, in fields and other areas where they travel, play or farm with their parents. UNICEF is supporting extensive mine-risk education programs in schools, in addition to child-friendly public awareness campaigns, that focus on teaching children not to pick up unfamiliar objects.”
Sure to be a lasting and particularly challenging aspect of these reconstruction and recovery efforts, in addition to providing school supplies and “child-friendly public awareness campaigns”, focusing on teaching children about UXOs or “unfamiliar objects” will be equipping teachers with the skill to work with children affected by conflict and crisis, fostering the awareness of and attendance to distressed children and the creation of an environment encouraging children’s psychosocial wellbeing.
“It is heartwarming to see firsthand that children are not only resuming education, but in doing so, also resuming a very important part of normal life”, said Laurenti.
“School in a Carton" kits mark a vital step in the recovery of Lebanon’s children and their families. There is an enormous amount of work ahead as we work together to rebuild, but the faces of the children we saw today remind us that it is possible.”
Elisa Burchett
U.N. OBSERVER & International Report
Please also see:
United Nations Children’s Fund http://www.unicef.org
UNICEF: Number of Palestinian Children Killed Doubles
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout4.php&id=2701&blz=1