Emergency safe spaces in Haiti and the Solomon Islands.

This paper provides background information on emergency Safe Spaces for children and specific information for responses in Haiti and the Solomon Islands. In 2007, both countries experienced natural disasters that resulted in internal displacement of thousands of people. The Save the Children Alliance created Safe Spaces for children living in camps for internally displaced persons. The project sought to accomplish 'B-SAFE' strategies through emergency education, psychosocial, and protection interventions. The B-SAFE strategies are to (B)uild relationships, cooperation, and respect among peers; to (S)creen for high-risk children and youth; (A)ctive, structured learning and life saving information; to (F)acilitate children's natural resilience and a return to normalcy; and to (E)stablish a sense of security and self-esteem. The project made use of child and parent surveys and observation tools that measured B-SAFE indicators. Analysed data demonstrated an improvement in children's behavior participating in the programme.

The role of education in protecting children in conflict

Wars deprive millions of children of an education, yet education in emergencies has not traditionally occupied a prominent place in humanitarian thinking. No one dies from not going to school, and other lifethreatening needs û for food, water, shelter or healthcare û can at first glance seem more pressing. Amid conflict and crisis, education programming has been viewed as a luxury, and a task best left to the development community. This paper argues for a reappraisal of the position of education in emergency programming. It explores the links between education and the wider protection needs of the children it assists. It suggests that, as protection in conflict emerges more clearly as a legitimate humanitarian concern, so the role of education as a tool of protection must be more clearly understood. How does conflict affect a childÆs education, and what impact does this have on an affected individualÆs social or cognitive development? In what ways can education enhance the physical and psychosocial protection of children in war-affected or displaced communities? What risks does education programming in these contested environments present, for children and for agencies themselves? What is currently being done, and how could it be done better? This paper does not offer definitive answers to these questions. Education in emergencies is a young area; the evidence of its impact is often anecdotal, and although its status as a humanitarian concern has gained legitimacy in recent years, it has yet to be accepted across the humanitarian community. Much more needs to be done to enhance our understanding of the links between education and child protection in emergency situations. (AU)