This article was first published on Mamamia.
It is natural for an adult to worry about their child; it goes with the territory of parenthood after all. But to hear children talk of their fear of losing their parents is something else.
For some kids this may be an unfounded fear. In Laos, this fear is terrifyingly real.
I know, because I went there and met dozens of gorgeous kids who told me that every day they worry about their parents going to work and not coming home. Or that their brothers or sisters will go out to play and not return.
The psychological impact of living in an area filled with deadly bombs is nothing short of debilitating. There was not a single person I spoke to – man, woman or child – who did not express feelings of unease, despair, even terror.
Rebels recently attacked the coastal communities of Zamboanga City in the Philippines, taking civilians hostage and using them as human shields. After several weeks of fighting, the government quelled the attacks and security is returning to the area.
ChildFund works in six communities in and around Zamboanga City. Although children enrolled in ChildFund programs were not directly affected by the fighting, ChildFund’s local partner organisation, the Holy Rosary Family Centre, under the leadership of Sister Nini, set up Child-Centred Spaces to ensure children had a safe place to gather, play and express any fears.
This is a day in the life of Sister Nini (pictured above, wearing white and black headpiece) during the standoff…
Sister Nini is used to getting up at dawn. Like other Dominican sisters in her order, she takes her morning prayers silently before dawn. It`s been more than a week since fighting erupted in the Philippines’ Zamboanga City and there`s much work to be done.
Within an hour of waking, Sister Nini has already picked up seven volunteer mothers and youth. Though it’s a tight squeeze, everyone fits in the cabin of her order’s pickup truck. Laughter fills whatever space is left, as her company tries to keep their spirits up and their legs from falling asleep. Thankfully, their destination, Boalan – an elementary school that has doubled as an evacuation centre – is not far. Though they are far enough from where the fighting continues in Zamboanga, Sister Nini is always wary of the possibility of danger on the road.
