Projects
Post Disaster Help for Children and Families affected by Typhoon Haiyan ( A.K.A. Yolanda) 2014
BACKGROUND: Children who directly experience traumatic events and disasters are at very high risk for mental health problems and will require interventions to help them cope and adjust in the aftermath of the event. According to the American Psychological Association,PTSD is “ the most common response to disastrous events in children, occurring in up to 40% of children exposed to disasters, and typically within 3 months after the event”.
The Philippine Ambulatory Pediatric Association ( PAPA) proposes to assist families and children affected by Typhoon Haiyan by implementing Reach Out and Read, a pediatric early literacy intervention. ROR is an innovative and evidence-based approach to help children develop a love for books and reading. Parents are counseled about the importance of reading aloud to their children starting at a very early age, and developmentally appropriate books are given. Volunteer readers read to children and show parents how reading can be an enjoyable activity and will help prepare their children for school.
GOAL OF THE PROJECT: The goal of this project is to use the ROR model to provide comfort and support to the many victims through books and reading. The unique needs of children who experience disasters require an intervention that considers their stages of growth and development and that will help their families and caregivers to respond appropriately to those needs.
COVERAGE: The areas to be covered by the program will include the most severely affected city of Tacloban and other neighboring communities, including Palo, Leyte where the University of the Philippines School of Science is located. PAPA will coordinate with organizations and professional groups in the devastated areas and the program will be implemented in health care centers, local government units, schools, day care centers, churches, shelters and wherever families and children are located.
METHODOLOGY: To implement the program, the PAPA ROR team will train health care providers, teachers, community heath workers, and volunteers of all ages who will read to children and families, give developmentally and culturally appropriate books ( in Filipino, English, and bilingual books), and talk with parents about the benefits of dialogic reading.
EXPECTED OUTCOME: This project will promote an atmosphere of normalcy while acknowledging an environment of chaos, fears and losses. Infants and preschoolers will be introduced to the world of books that they will enjoy and will help them develop emergent literacy skills. Older children will engage themselves in stories about other children, about adventure and history and about the world around them. Adults including families, caregivers and volunteers will have an opportunity through books to interact with children who will otherwise have difficulty expressing themselves in ways that will allow them to articulate their feelings and emotions. It is our hope that the project will contribute to the process of healing.
Persons responsible for the project:
Mutya San Agustin-Shaw, MD, FAAP, Founding President of PAPA
Carmen Ramos-Bonoan, MD, FAAP, National Director, PAPA ROR
Florianne Valdes, MD, FPPS, President , PAPA
PAPA Officers and Board Members
Oversight of financial distribution for project activities:
PAPA Treasurer and Auditor