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Unicef's 4 point plan for tsunami children
Honours for Sure Start sector

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05 January 2005 - Unicef's 4 point plan for tsunami children

Two days ahead of its global conference in Jakarta to coordinate aid for countries devastated by tsunamis, UNICEF on Tuesday proposed four fundamental priorities for children, including keeping them alive and plugging trafficking, which needed to be addressed immediately.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the issues needed to be tackled on a priority basis to be able to give the tsunami devastated generation a fighting chance.

"The relief effort should primarily focus on keeping children alive, with emphasis on clean water, adequate sanitation, basic nutrition and routine medical care, especially in Indonesia, where survival is the primary challenge for children in unreached communities," she said in a release here.

Stating that care for separated children must also be given high priority in the all relief plans, she said finding children who have lost families, identifying them and reuniting them with their extended families and communities was a challenge to be met with.

Relief efforts must also ensure that children were protected from exploitation in tumultuous environments like those in the tsunami zone, where families were broken apart, incomes lost and 'hope was in short supply'.

"In some affected countries, reports have been emerging of opportunistic child traffickers moving in to exploit vulnerable children. UNICEF is working closely with local and national authorities to head off these criminals," Bellamy said.

Coping with trauma and getting children back to school as quickly as possible was also high on UNICEF's agenda, Bellamy said, adding there was also need to train adults who interact with children to spot signs of severe trauma.

"Nothing will signal hope more clearly than rebuilding and reopening schools. Being in a learning environment would give children something positive to focus on and enable adults around them to go about the business of rebuilding with greater confidence," she said.

Bellamy also lauded the relief efforts across the Indian Ocean region which had reported positive results like prevention of major disease outbreaks.

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04 January 2005 - Honours for Sure Start sector

Congratulations to the following people from the early years and childcare sector who received an honour in the New Year's Honours List:

DBE
Dame Gillian Pugh, OBE - Chief Executive, Coram Family

CB
Ms Naomi Eisenstadt - Director, Sure Start Unit

OBE
Professor Lesley Abbott - Professor of Early Childhood Education, Manchester Metropolitan University
Professor David Berridge - Professor of Child and Family Welfare, University of Luton
Mrs Ann Harris - Headteacher, Oaktree Nursery and Primary School, Swindon, Wiltshire
Mrs Angela Stones - Headteacher, McMillan Nursery School, Kingston-upon-Hull

MBE
Mrs Margaret Anderton - Member, Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE)
Mrs Patricia Bradley - Co-ordinator and Founder, Fellowship House Children's Centre, Newham, London
Mrs Ruth Fawcett - Chair, Wokingham Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership, Berkshire
Mrs Celia Harding - Founder, Jack & Jill Pre-school, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Mrs Ann Johnson - Volunteer at Chanctonbury Community Playscheme, West Sussex
Mrs Janet McCormack - Nursery Nurse, Millbank Primary School, Westminster, London
Mrs Christine Taylor - Lately Partnership Advisor (Early Years) to the DfES

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