* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
What does War Child actually do?
Whilst all this talk about mechanisms, protection, mental health makes a lot of sense, what do we actually do to remedy the problems? War Child has found that for the majority of conflict-affected children, there is a pedagogy which is less labour intensive or stigmatizing, than targeted mental health programmes. Our mantra is LIFE-SKILLS. Life-Skills is psychosocial work and activities and has its own methodology championed by UNICEF, the Child Protection sector and Mental Health experts as the means of increasing resilience, confidence and a more qualified and hopeful generation in societies blighted by conflict and poverty.
As many children tend to only display milder signs of trauma or mental instability in conflict situations, War Child’s primary aim is to deal with their difficulties and build their resilience. Working with small groups of children, War Child-trained teachers take life-skills classes in both emergency and post-emergency settings.
The life-skills curriculums follow the guidelines from the Inter Agency Standing Committee and are developed in coordination with the national ministries as well as with other stakeholders and develop the following skills problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication skills, decision-making, creative thinking, interpersonal relationship skills, self-awareness building skills, empathy, dealing with stress and emotions.
So how do we actually do this? Activities range from confidence-building activities to public speaking, debating, problem solving and creative tasks. Children get the chance to communicate their messages to society through radio adverts, posters, or through becoming better at expressing themselves and their hopes. Making children aware that they can have a future, that they have rights, and that they should be able to hope is crucial in building their optimism and engagement in the peace process.
Impact
So what changes might we see in a child who is attending life-skills classes? Whilst we can’t measure it quantifiably, to staff and project managers the changes are visible almost immediately. The youngest to the eldest can quickly become more independent, relate better to authority figures, become better at playing, at empathizing, and building friendships.
For those who may not be ready or able to participate in group activities, War Child offers counselling for children. This has been very popular and successful in particular at our street-girls drop in centre in Kinshasa. The majority of girls at the centre are child sex-workers, with an average age of 12. Furthermore, War Child is well integrated into the network of child protection agencies both governmental and non-governmental in-country. By working with lots of children, our teachers quickly become aware of children who need more help, who are at risk and who need referral.
We believe that the most immediate, long-lasting and beneficial work is done with children in the safest place; the classroom.
