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engag(e)[ing] in family livelihood or other work: raising hogs, catfish, collecting metal and
plastics, sell[ing] goods (shampoo, cheese curls, candies, etc.), accept[ing] laundry, planting
and selling root crops, squash, tomato, okra, etc.).” 76
Other emergencies
Following the floods in Thailand in 2010 “Children responded by helping their families
and caring for each other, by making visits to friends by boat or calling if possible as well
as by swimming or fishing.” 77 One girl noted, “We were united. We cooked food and gave
it to neighbours.” 78 In Mongolia during periods of food shortages among some families,
children were aware of the situation and took action by eating elsewhere if they could. One
girl shared, “Sometimes I have dinner in a different household and tell my family to take care of
themselves”. 79 In the Ebola emergency in Liberia and Sierra Leone, older children not only
looked after their siblings but were teaching younger siblings at home. 80
CASE STUDY: Zimbabwe children’s committees
Children’s knowledge of their locality was found to be important and useful in Zimbabwe
when dealing with food security and shortages, where committees of children have been
set up specifically for monitoring and feedback. “Through the committee, children have
been able to point to their peers and younger children missing out on aid, and other
problems. These activities demonstrate the importance of properly involving all sectors of a
community, including children in information, consultations and particularly feedback and
monitoring work.” 81
Zimbabwe Children’s Committees for evaluation and accountability
In Zimbabwe in 2003, a survey was conducted on the distribution of food aid in the
`hungry season’ from November to April. It was found that children were often not
registered in cases where their parents had died or were absent. In addition, childheaded
households in many instances did not know of their entitlements. Complaints
were not made out of fear that food aid might be terminated.
In response, Save the Children established a Children’s Committee to collect feedback,
complaints and make suggestions for improvement. By April 2004 seven committees
were established in seven communities. Children raised issues around allocation of food,
including within households, and marginalization of orphans by caregivers. They also
raised cases of child abuse. Child representatives on the committees had been trained
beforehand, in information gathering skills, accountability, and documentation. Also,
parents and community leaders were involved beforehand in detailed discussions, in
order to obtain their permission and agreement on the process.
The local management board “generally believes that this intervention has provided
information of a nature and quality that may not have been possible through the
normal post-distribution monitoring visits conducted by international NGOs.” 82
The process appears to have threatened some established interests: “As one councilor
remarked, it is a short step from promoting the accountability of food aid deliveries to
demands for greater accountability among elected office-holders.” 83
The process provided important learning points for methods of children’s participation
to ensure accountability during emergencies. Above all, it showed how power
inequalities are too easy to bypass, and the importance of involving children themselves.
84
(Original – Box 25 in UNICEF 2007) 85