Children and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the Context of the Rights-Based Approach to Development; the Cases of the Municipalities of Catarman and Laoang in the Province of Northern Samar

This study attempted to investigate the extent of children’s participation in the local disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) programs and its contribution to their rights to development towards building their future individual preparedness in responding safely and responsibly to disaster and other emergencies. It also investigated the impact of their participation on their individual awareness, knowledge, skills, motivation, and attitude, in relation to DRRM. The overall goal of the study was to evolve policy recommendations toward strengthening the local DRRM and making them work as welfare-enhancing programs for the children and youth. The rights-based approach (RBA) to development, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provisions on participation, were made as reference in looking at the institutionalization of children’s participation in DRRM. The study made use of a Conceptual Framework generally anchored on Institutional Analysis Development (IAD) model in describing the relationship of key variables under investigation. The variables of the study were grouped according to the framework’s components, namely: exogenous variables, action arena, interactions, evaluative criteria and outcomes. The overall anchor of this study was the RBA, with emphasis on the partnership/collaboration between and among duty bearers – NGOs, Schools and MDRRMOs, and rights holders-the students. This study was conducted in the municipalities of Catarman and Laoang in the Province of Northern Samar. The Respondents include MDRRMOs, school heads of selected private and public primary and secondary schools, some local officials and parents, and some elementary students who are at Grade V and Grade VI, and all the year levels in the secondary level and selected NGO representatives. The range of activities under the local DRRM programs being institutionalized by the respondent-agencies include representation in decision-making in DRRM activities; organizing and mobilizing children’s organizations; child-led risk assessment and training for delivering indigenous early warning system; child-led theatre presentations and cultural showsrelated to DRRM; film screenings and other point activities with teachers and school officials; coordinator of Earth Day and similar celebrations with other municipalities; tree planting and growing campaigns; support in management of marine protected and watershed areas; adopt a tree/watershed project; promotional and educational activities for disaster preparedness at school or in the community; first-aid and basic life support trainings; and community drills and disaster simulation exercises. The assessment by the students themselves showed that the first two most participated activities include “tree planting and growing campaign” and “community drills and disaster simulation exercises” while the least participated activity is “support in management of marine protected and watershed areas”. The groupings of these option activities revealed that about 75 percent of the activities of which children were involved was under the “preparedness” phase of disaster management, while the remaining 25 percent belonged to the “mitigation” phase. Unfortunately, the local children have no participation in activities under the “recovery” and “response” phases of disaster management. In terms of the extent of institutionalization of children’s participation, the school heads group revealed that more than one-half of the activities was moderately institutionalized, MDRRMOs group, about three-fourths, highly institutionalized; and the NGOs gave an assessment of moderately institutionalized to half to half of all the activities. Gauging the impact on the children of their participation in DRRM activities, it was shown based on their self-assessmentsthat they were moderately aware moderately knowledgeable, moderately skilled, moderately motivated, and neutral in attitude. A set relevant policy recommendations has been developed in response to critical gaps as drawn from the conclusion of the study towards enhancing local DRRM programs and making children’s participation sustainable.