Philippine Evacuation Center through the  Children’s Lens

Maria Talitha Estrella L. Borines

Authors

Maria Talitha Estrella L. Borines Institute of Education, Far Eastern University

Keywords:

early childhood, experiences, feelings, evacuation center, flood, children's drawings

Abstract

Evacuation as a pre-disaster response necessitates safety in schools. Anchored
to this need, this study was conducted to describe the experiences and feelings
of 30 six-to-eight-year-old children in an evacuation center of a flood-prone
barangay in the Philippines. The respondents were asked to draw their
experiences inside the evacuation center and eventually interviewed on what
they drew, what they felt during their stay inside the center, and what they
expected to see to make their stay comfortable, happy, and meaningful. A
frequency count was followed to tally and categorize the participants'
responses according to their variables. Five categories emerged for children's
experiences: sensory experiences, bio-physical experiences, family-related
experiences, social activities, and rules imposed by the parents; seven arose
for children's feelings, namely afraid, happy, sad, pity, difficult, frustrated, and
hungry; and the children provided two recommendations: material things and
social relationships. The study proposes developing programs and
interventions, designing evacuation centers, and food planning for young
children.

Author Biography

Maria Talitha Estrella L. Borines, Institute of Education, Far Eastern University

Maria Talitha Estrella L. Borines is a faculty member of the Institute of Education – Department of Undergraduate Studies. She teaches Professional Education and General Education courses. She earned her master's degree in Family Life and Child Development from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She is currently taking PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the Philippine Normal University. Her research interest is in early childhood and teacher education.