The Children in Bam

By Shabnam Mirsaeedi Farahani

Only a couple of days after the earthquake in December 2003 the first group of volunteers from the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child went to Bam. The immediate task was finding dead bodies in the collapsed structures of the city. But along with this work the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child sent first aid materials such as blankets, clothes, bottled water and a limited supply of food. After a week of work in Bam the first group of volunteers returned to Tehran. Their work continued in Tehran's hospitals where they provided entertaining activities such as drawing classes and storytelling. Also, volunteers helped children find their relatives.

The second group of volunteers left Tehran three weeks after the earthquake. They were in charge of implementing the Society's main project in Bam, which still continues today. The project, known as Camp Shadi (The Happy Camp), seeks to offer an alternative environment for children affected by the earthquake. Volunteers from the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child keep the children from morning to afternoon in a peaceful and secure environment away from the sorrow and destruction of the area. There, the children have opportunities to draw, play with other children and receive nutritious food such as milk and fruit. Since its inception in Bam the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child has provided the necessary resources to build a playground for these children. 

The Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child is the only Non-Governmental Organization in Bam which not only helps the children directly, but also trains its volunteer staff in Bam. The coaches are between eighteen and nineteen years old and provide about 150 children with classes and immediate help. So far the Society has put forward ten workshops for trainers that covered the following topics:

• Teaching the articles of the "UN Convention on the Rights of the Child"
• The effect of drawing in a child's creativity, training the method of drawing analysis to understand the mental conditions of a child, specifically his/her condition in the family
• The right selection of stories and books for children in crisis
• Training on social skills as how to relate to others behaviorally and verbally: Decision making, team involvement, and friendship making skills.  
• Special care to the mental health of children, specifically those who have lost their parents
• Developing coaching skills in children public and individual health care
• Developing coaching skills in proper nutrition
• Developing coaching skills in children sports and specifically group sports
• Training and management of day care centers
• Training in life skills

Most of the Society's activities focus on the psychological well-being of children especially those that have lost their immediate relatives in the earthquake. Although the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child has been very successful in its activities, it is limited due to the lack and quality of space available in Bam. At first the projects and workshops were hosted in a large tent. Now, the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child has moved its activities to a pre-build house where it is unable to host as many children as before.