Disaster affecting thousands of children

SUVA – The tens of thousands of children in Fiji affected by Cyclone Winston must receive the right psychosocial support, says the aid agency Unicef.

The Fijian government said about five per cent of the population is now in evacuation centres following Cyclone Winston.

A spokesperson for Unicef in Fiji, Alice Clements, said a natural disaster places enormous stress on children.

“For a child who has experienced this inadequate standard of accommodation where their house has been literally pulled apart around them and they have had to run to seek shelter somewhere else. This is an enormously distressing situation.”

“We have seen children who have just stopped speaking, we have seen children who are withdrawing emotionally. Often when a child is under a huge amount of stress they revert to the behaviours of a younger child.”

Schools in Fiji that were not severely damaged during Cyclone Winston are to re-open on Monday.

The National Disaster Management minister Inia Seruiratu made the announcement amid confusion over the resumption date. The Fiji Times reports Seruiratu saying the government wants education to resume as quickly as possible.

He said however they are concerned with schools that are still being used as evacuation centres.

Seruiratu said these schools will need to be cleaned before classes resumed. - RNZI