Jul 292017
 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and SM Prime Holdings are encouraging parents to read to their children to address the declining reading habits of Filipinos.

SM Cares

UNICEF Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Martin Porter spoke at the National Children’s Book Reading Day event at the SM Mall of Asia, emphasizing the role of parents in developing healthy reading habits in children.

“My parents used to read to me when I was a little kid and it helped develop in me the habit of reading,” the UNICEF officer shared.

SM Cares Director of the Program on Children and Youth, Mr. Royston Cabunag affirmed the love of reading is developed early on and parents play a key role in its development.

“Research has shown that children whose parents read to them and who themselves read regularly develop the love of reading. This is the reason why parents should make time to be with their children, read to them so that it becomes habit-forming,” the SM Cares director pointed out.

According to the National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey of 2012, 88% or a Total of 49.2 million Filipino adults read though it is declining: 94% in 2003, 92% in 2007 and 88% in 2012.

The NBDB 2012 Readership Survey also shows that more and more Filipinos are beginning to read NSB at a much younger age, starting as early as 0 to 6 years old, with the majority of adult readers saying they started reading NSB between the ages of 7 to 12 years old. This underscores the vital role that parents, family, day care centers and pre-school teachers play in encouraging a love for reading.

The SM Cares release sent to GoodNewsPilipinas states, “experts were one in saying that social media, television and the new lifestyle among young people have contributed to their waning interest in reading.

Experts believe that the development of a reading habit among the youth is an important feature towards a literate, progressive and caring society because reading encourages learning and develops creativity that leads to new ideas.”

SM held simultaneous book reading events in 66 SM Supermalls across the Philippines.

 

The post UNICEF, SM encourage parents reading to children appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

Jan 072014
 
Classes reopen in PHL typhoon zone

Children hold plates on top of their heads against rainfall as they queue for free meals during Christmas celebrations at the town of Bislig, Tanauan in Leyte province, central Philippines December 24, 2013, a month after Typhoon Haiyan battered central Philippines. Super typhoon Haiyan reduced almost everything in its path to rubble when it swept ashore in the central Philippines on November 8, killing at least 6,069 people, leaving 1,779 missing and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes. (MNS photo) TACLOBAN (AFP) – Schools reopened Monday in badly damaged central Philippine towns for the first time since one of the world’s strongest storms ever to hit land killed thousands two months ago. Crowding into makeshift classrooms built from tarpaulins and plywood, the children – many of them still traumatized – sat quietly as teachers tried to engage them in friendly banter. Mothers refused to leave the tents despite appeals from teachers to let the children slowly resume their daily routine, an AFP reporter said. “Only about 50 percent of our school’s nearly 1,000 pupils are back,” lamented principal Maria Evelyn Encina in the seaside village of San Roque near the central city of Tacloban, where giant tsunami-like waves triggered by Super Typhoon Haiyan wiped out entire neighborhoods. She said at least nine students had been among the dead, although the fate of many others and their families remained unknown. “They could be in evacuation centers or taken in by their relatives in the mass evacuation that followed,” Encina Read More …

Jan 072014
 
UNICEF hopes resumption of classes will bring normalcy to ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

By Bong LozadaINQUIRER.net 9:03 pm | Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 In this aerial photo taken on Nov. 9, 2013, and released by the Philippine Air Force, a ferry boat is seen washed inland from a massive storm surge caused by Typhoon Haiyan, in the city of Tacloban, central Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations Children’s Fund hopes the resumption of classes in areas affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international codename: Haiyan) will be a spring board to speed up rehabilitation, a statement said. UNICEF together with international organizations Save the Children and INTERSOS supported the Back to Learning campaign of the Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development that saw the re-opening of schools on Monday. “UNICEF’s objective is to ensure that children affected by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ return to quality learning as quickly as possible,” said Angela Kearney, officer-in-charge of UNICEF Philippines. According to the UN arm, schools have become safe havens for both teachers and children and once school started, the daily routine has helped restore a sense of normalcy. “It’s our hope that children returning to school and day care centers will have a sense of routine and have a safe place during the day to be with friends where they can continue to learn and enjoy safe play,” said Dr. Luisa Yu, DepEd Director for Region VIII. UNICEF hopes that once the children are back in school, parents will have more time to rebuild their livelihood. As of January 6, the Read More …

Nov 292013
 
Young Yolanda survivors recover from trauma with the help of teachers, toys

Under tall coconut trees in Hernani, Eastern Samar, about 30 children huddled around Grade 8 teacher Lurlien Bonga holding scraps of paper on which to write down their lesson for the day. The spacious land where the children gathered was where the Pedro E. Candido Memorial National High School once stood. After Typhoon Yolanda, all that was left of the school were torn-down rooms, mountains of debris and a few coconut trees. The students, whose ages and grade levels vary from one another, had to make do with jotting down notes on scraps of paper and sharing pencils with their classmates because they lost their school supplies in the storm. Grade 7 teacher Lina Camarillo, who teaches students in another makeshift classroom, was unable to hold back tears in a television interview as she shared her current predicament. “Yung mga instructional materials namin, nawala. Naanod lahat. Paano naman namin matuturuan ang mga bata?” she asked. But despite the lack of teaching materials and proper classrooms, several teachers in this small town gather children everyday to teach them new lessons. Child Friendly Spaces With the help of teachers and toys, the young survivors of the typhoon are slowly beginning to recover from the trauma brought about by the calamity three weeks ago. Last week, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) opened four Child Friendly Spaces in Tacloban City filled with toys and learning materials for children. The Child Friendly Spaces, launched in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Read More …

Nov 192013
 
UNICEF warns of sexual violence, trafficking among children after super typhoon

A representative from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday warned that children who were victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda are at risk from sexual violence and trafficking. “Children also face the risk of separation to their parents or care-givers. This is a huge concern for us. Not only in the immediate aftermath of the crisis but parents are on the move looking for food for survival for their families and leaving children behind. And this is where children are at risk from [sexual violence and] trafficking,” Sarah Norton Staal, UNICEF-Philippines chief of child protection, said Tuesday. “In other natural disasters, we have seen about a 10 percent rise in trafficking,” Staal explained. “So we are very concerned.” According to the United Nations, about 4.6 million children were affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Out of this number, about 1.6 million children were internally displaced. To address this, Staal said that UNICEF was prioritizing the building of temporary shelters, which will also have a play area for children. “It is important for them to feel some normalcy especially after undergoing some psycho-social trauma. They have seen the destruction of their homes, communities,” she noted. Also, parents and guardians should be aware of “predators” and should immediately report any suspicious activities against children. Health situation After dealing with trauma-related injuries, medical workers are now facing other serious ailments among the typhoon victims, said Dr. Julie Lyn Hall, World Health Organization country representative. “The first phase after such a disaster, you see Read More …

Feb 022013
 
$1.4B needed for children in global humanitarian crisis–UNICEF

$23M appeal for Philippines included INQUIRER.net 3:53 pm | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – UNICEF has appealed for almost $1.4 billion to meet the immediate, life-saving needs of children in 45 countries and regions globally gripped by conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies this year. Funds raised by the annual appeal will also go towards improving disaster preparedness, and to strengthening the resilience of communities to withstand and minimize the impact of new shocks. “We are still in the first month of 2013, which has already proved harsh for millions of children suffering in Syria and for refugees who had to flee to neighboring countries. Mali and the Central African Republic are also experiencing worsening conflict, threatening the lives of children and women,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Director of the Office of Emergency Programs. “Children are extremely vulnerable in emergencies, often living in unhealthy and unsafe conditions, at high risk of disease, violence, exploitation and neglect.” The Humanitarian Action for Children 2013 appeal includes countries prominent in today’s news headlines along with many other countries that receive much less media coverage, such as Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and the Philippines, but which also require urgent attention and assistance. “The complex emergency in Syria represents one important focus of UNICEF’s global emergency response,” said Chaiban. “But we are also delivering results for children in highly challenging and largely forgotten emergencies around the world.” The Philippines’ US$23 million appeal aims to address humanitarian needs in the Mindanao armed conflict, the Typhoon Read More …