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allow me in their midst. People stigmatize me as if I am responsible for what happened to my
mother”. 162
In situations of armed conflict, inadequate or unavailable healthcare provision was a major
concern for children, and many recognized the interconnection of health problems with
fear and stress brought on by the emergency. See HEALTH.
Food and water
Food and water shortages were raised by children in various settings, and linked to
problems of being unable to study, socialize, and seeing others become thin and weak.
In assessments of drought in Kenya, “all the children say they see shortage of food, and
think about what they will eat at home and at school. They state that they cannot learn
when they are hungry. Some children in Kolowa said that they have seen people fighting
for food resources. Most children mention not engaging in recreational activities such as
playing and visiting friends because of hunger and lack of food to share. Some children
spoke about collecting wild fruit and hunting wild animals. Some children go to the nearby
centres to beg for food and money. Some children said they see people growing thin and
weak due to lack of food and water. One focus group talked of seeing the slaughter of
animals for food. Some children talked of feeling angry, or guilty as they see people die as a
result of hunger and hear people talk desperately about lack of food to eat.” 163
Children also mentioned receiving food aid from international agencies. 164 Children spoke
of a need for
“Food aid from the government, INGO and others for school children and vulnerable households
and to improve access to water and sanitation through the construction of water pans, dams,
drilling of boreholes, provision of water tanks, and use of river water for irrigation. In addition,
existing pans and dams should be protected. The government and NGOs should construct toilets
for schools.” 165
In the Ebola emergency, children reported decreasing food availability and increasing
dependence on food aid: “Children described in detail a reduction in the number of
cups of rice their family were eating per day and how they were no longer eating meat,
fruits or other quality foods. Almost all those interviewed described an increase in child
undernourishment in their community as a result of Ebola. The only sites where food
shortages and hunger were not heavily reported were those receiving food aid as part
of the Ebola response. There was disquiet among the interviewees in relation to the
distribution of food aid to Ebola victims. People felt that the crisis was affecting every
community and family, not just those suffering directly from Ebola.” 166
In Haiti, the limited access to drinking water and the distance to fetch water were
mentioned by children in the course of assessments in 2010, with children concerned