Monday, October 09, 2006
Oledan: Deliberate interventions
By Radzini Oledan
Slice of Life
THIS year, the Sixth Countrywide Programme for Children (CPC 6) will focus its social intervention in the identified 40 barangays, mostly located in the uplands where access to services is nil and where there are gaps in the areas of child survival, protection, development and participation rights.
The approach on disparity reduction will be in a deliberate and systematic manner to focus on areas which have the least access to services and lowest right achievement. Barangays with the largest number of children who are deficient in terms of health, nutrition, education, ECCD and protection outcomes shall be given priority through community empowerment, convergence and complementary strategy.
Previously, the CPC 5 started with the modeling of the Child Friendly Movement (CFM) in pilot municipalities and barangays which were most deficient in basic social services and lowest in rights based outcomes.
In its sixth phase until 2009, the current program for children aims to reduce the situation of children and women based on key indicators such as Maternal and
Child Health, Education, Protection between that at the national level and those that are obtaining in the 24 CPC focus LGUs by 50 percent by 2009. Accordingly,
the reduction in geographic disparities among and within each of the LGUs will lead to a reduced disparity relative to the national situation.
The disparity areas were identified by the Inter-Agency Committee of CPC VI based on the Minimum Basic Needs survey results, Maternal and Child Health indicators, Education and indicators on Children in Need of Special Protection (CNSP).
It will work within the principles of convergence and complementation of efforts, as well as intensification of information and education on the ground to allow families and the whole community to take part in sustaining the gains of building a genuinely child friendly society.
Physical infrastructures like farm to market roads, clinics and day care centers, as well as livelihood support program are important components in providing an environment that will allow children to fully develop and protect themselves from any abuse and exploitation.
Yet, situation in the boondocks are different from the challenges confronting children and youth in the urban area. In several instances, the participation of children in household and farming activities are necessary for their families to increase production and in many ways, survive.
Families may not also have the full capacity to advocate, much less assist those in their own community who may need protection. The Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), a mandated mechanism in the community level should also move towards pro-active solutions beyond mere compliance to the law.
Pro-activeness however, requires sufficient information for families and communities to take ownership of the program and to become the vanguards of their own rights and those of their children.
Without the information, we leave communities totally helpless if not dependent upon external interventions without assurance of any sustainability.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child reflects a new vision of the child. It sets out the rights that must be realized for children to develop their full potential, free from hunger and want, neglect and abuse where children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights.
But there is a strong need to go down to the barangays and together with the local folks, especially the children themselves, make this vision a reality through deliberate interventions.
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