Nearly half the population of Sierra Leone is under the age of 18 years and the impact of the Ebola crisis on their lives now and on their future opportunities has been far-reaching: no school; loss
...
of family members and friends to the virus; and changing roles and responsibilities in the home and the community.
While the priority now remains meeting the goal of zero cases, the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) is also developing a comprehensive strategy aimed at supporting communities to recover from this crisis, to put the country back on track to meet development targets. The Ebola Recovery Strategy – currently being finalised by the GoSL – represents a potentially transformative framework to support the immediate recovery of children from the crisis and to ensure their place in the future development of Sierra Leone.
To date, there has not been a formal process for children to outline their own priorities for recovery to decision-makers. In mid-March 2015, child-centred agencies conducted a Children’s Ebola Recovery Assessment (CERA) in nine districts across Sierra Leone to create a mechanism for more than 1,100 boys and girls, to discuss issues of concern; assess the impact of the crisis on their roles, responsibilities and future opportunities; and to formulate their recommendations for recovery.
more
A book of rehabilitation menus from 23 countries developed by World Vision staff and the communities they work in, using locally available, low-cost, nutrient-dense ingredients. Many times, you will find included in the recipes neglected underutilis
...
ed indigenous foods that are contextual to the area. The menus included in this book were successfully used in a food-based rehabilitation and behaviour change approach called, "Positive Deviance/Hearth (PDH)" programme to rehabilitate undernourished children and prevent malnutrition within the communities where they were designed.
more
International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) 2013 | 7th – 12th December | Cape Town, South Africa
This report summarizes the latest scientific knowledge on the links between exposure to air pollution and adverse health effects in children. It is intended to inform
...
and motivate individual and collective action by health care professionals to prevent damage to children’s health from exposure to air pollution. Air pollution is a major environmental health threat. Exposure to fine particles in both the ambient environment and in the household causes about seven million premature deaths each year. Ambient air pollution (AAP) alone imposes enormous costs on the global economy, amounting to more than US$ 5 trillion in total welfare losses in 2013.
more
Overview
Learning objectives
• Promote respect and dignity for children and adolescents with mental
...
and behavioural
disorders.
• Know common presentations of children and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Know assessment principles of child and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Know management principles of child and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Use effective communication skills in interactions with children and adolescents with
mental and behavioural disorders.
• Perform an assessment for children and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Assess and manage physical conditions of children with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Provide psychosocial interventions to children and adolescents with mental and
behavioural disorders and their carers.
• Deliver pharmacological interventions as needed and appropriate to children and
adolescents with mental and behavioural disorders.
• Plan and perform follow-up for children and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders.
• Refer to specialists and link children and adolescents with mental and behavioural
disorders with outside agencies where available.
more
Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, Vol.25 (2014) pp.72-81
This article highlights some lessons about the strategy of community-based inclusive education, drawn from different programmes in Latin America.
Mental health problems represent the greatest global burden of disease among children and adolescents. There is, however, lack of policy development and
...
implementation for child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where children and adolescents represent up to 50% of populations. South Africa, an upper-middle income country is often regarded as advanced in health and social policy-making and implementation in comparison to other LMICs. It is, however, not clear whether this is the case for CAMH.
more
Humanity & Inclusion has published a report on November 20, on the difficulties children with disabilities face in accessing education in the world’s poorest countries.
The report focuses on several key areas where health outcomes are falling short, and provides insight into ways in which countries can improve the situation for their children
...
and adolescents. Areas in focus include mental health, overweight/obesity and adolescent risk-taking behaviour.
The report shows, for example, that:
- mental health remains a neglected subject – only one quarter of countries are collecting data on the number of children treated by a mental health professional;
- half of countries do not regulate the marketing of food to children, despite the fact that childhood obesity rates are high across the Region and physical activity rates are low;
- almost half of countries have no policy that affects the availability of unhealthy foods at school;
- 2 in 5 girls and 1 in 3 boys who are having sex do not protect themselves; and
one third of countries do not offer legal access to contraception without parental consent for those under 18 years of age.
more
This report finds that although Lebanese law bars schools from discriminating against children with disabilities, public and private schools exclude many
...
children with disabilities. For those allowed to enroll, schools often lack reasonable accommodations, such as modifications to the classroom environment and curricula or teaching methods to address children’s needs. Schools also require the families of children with disabilities to pay extra fees and expenses that in effect are discriminatory.
more
The substantial burden of death and disability that results from interpersonal violence, road traffic injuries, unintentional injuries, occupational health risks, air pollution, climate change,
...
and inadequate water and sanitation falls disproportionally on low- and middle-income countries. Injury Prevention and Environmental Health addresses the risk factors and presents updated data on the burden, as well as economic analyses of platforms and packages for delivering cost-effective and feasible interventions in these settings. The volume's contributors demonstrate that implementation of a range of prevention strategies-presented in an essential package of interventions and policies-could achieve a convergence in death and disability rates that would avert more than 7.5 million deaths a year.
more
Save the Children in Albania is establishing and strengthening structures and mechanisms which monitor
...
and advocate for children’s rights, promote ways to protect children from all forms of exploitation and violence and also empower and support children and their representatives to meaningfully advocate for implementation of their rights and influence decisions that bring about changes in their future lives.
more
Following a long recovery from the economic crisis (2007–2013), young people in the EU proved to be more vulnerable to the effects of the restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
...
Young people were more likely than older groups to experience job loss, financial insecurity and mental health problems. They reported reduced life satisfaction and mental well-being associated with the stay-at-home requirements and school closures. While governments responded quickly to the pandemic, most efforts to mitigate the effects of restrictions were temporary measures aimed at preventing job loss and keeping young people in education. This report explores the effects of the pandemic on young people, particularly in terms of their employment, well-being and trust in institutions, and assesses the various policy measures introduced to alleviate these effects.
Summary available in 22 languages
more
A Rapid Appraisal of Priorities, Policies and Practices
As this report shows,
reports of child abuse and of children
witnessing violence between their
parents and caregivers have increased.
Ending vi
...
olence against children is
increasingly within our reach. D
more
The guide contains valuable tools for wound care and the rehabilitation of people affected by Buruli ulcer. It is also helpful for peripheral health centres in areas where Buruli ulcer is endemic and
...
to people and their families affected by the disease
more
Every five minutes a child dies as the result of violence, according to a ground-breaking report from Unicef UK. The report reveals that the vast majority of children are killed outside warzones and
...
that physical, sexual and emotional abuse is widespread with millions of children unsafe in their homes, schools and communities. Some 345 children could die from violence each day in the next year, unless governments act.
The report also finds that:
(1) Children who are victims of violence have brain activity similar to soldiers exposed to combat;
(2) A third of children who are victims of violence are likely to develop long-lasting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder;
(3) Those living in poverty are more likely to be victims of violence, wherever they live in the world;
(4) Over 7% of child deaths due to violence each day are the result of interpersonal violence, rather than conflict.
more
Infectious diseases like COVID-19 can disrupt the environments in which children grow and develop. Disruptions to families, friendships, daily routines an
...
d the wider community can have negative consequences for children’s well-being, development and protection. In addition, measures used to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 can expose children to protection risks. Home-based, facility-based and zonal-based quarantine and isolation measures can all negatively impact children and their families.
The aim of this brief is to support child protection practitioners to better respond to the child protection risks during a COVID-19 pandemic. Part 1 presents the potential child protection risks COVID-19 can pose to children. Part 2 presents programmatic options in line with the 2019 Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPMS) and the Guidance Note: Protection of Children During Infectious Disease Outbreaks.
more
The World Food Programme (WFP) has taken important steps to progress disability inclusion across its programming and operations. In late 2022, WFP commissioned the Nossal Institute, University of Me
...
lbourne in partnership with the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia to identify pathways for increasing disability inclusion in WFP’s emergency preparedness and response (EPR) programming.
The study explored WFP’s programming in Indonesia and the Philippines, including WFP’s advisory, technical assistance and service provision roles to government and partners and informed the development of this guide (see appendix 2). As general guidance on disability inclusion is increasingly available, the purpose of this guide is to contextualize disability inclusion in WFP’s emergency preparedness and response programming. The guide builds on core reference materials, such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, 2019. While of wider relevance, this guide is directed at WFP’s EPR programming in Asia and the Pacific.
more
Asthma is the commonest chronic childhood disease and encompasses a spectrum of airway diseases with similar symptoms. Inaccurate diagnosis remains common, especially in younger children, with failu
...
re to characterize the different “asthmas.” Children worldwide repeatedly suffer symptoms which severely affect their everyday lives. Children die from asthma, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In many countries, asthma prevalence is rising. Access to effective care and changing environments are hugely variable and may explain the higher morbidity in inner-city children, in LMICs, and in deprived populations in high-income countries. Despite the disease being eminently controllable, morbidity and mortality persist.
more