Child victims of war
Written by Kali Galanis, who's been active for a few years in helping child victims of war.
Background
- Since 1990, conflicts have directly killed as many as 3.6 million people; more than 45 percent of these are likely to have been children.
- In a typical five-year war, the under-five mortality rate increases by 13%.
- The number of children currently caught up in conflict as combatants is likely to run into the hundreds of thousands. Children are conscripted, kidnapped or pressured into joining armed groups. Children are also forced into sexual slavery and to become labourers, cooks or servants, messengers or spies.
- Most child soldiers are aged between 14 and 18. Up to 100,000 children are estimated to be involved in armed conflicts in Africa (Source: child-soldiers.org)
Source: UNICEF SOWC 2005 (http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/sowc05.pdf)
Where to give
A couple of points regarding the following organizations:
- They are accountable and financially responsible
- They work in concert with local organizations and seek to address local needs
- They consider their beneficiaries to be active members of their communities, not helpless victims
- They value programmes that do not isolate children but rather work to strengthen overall communities (this is why some organizations are not solely child-focused) because children’s welfare is closely linked to the welfare of their parents, guardians, and communities
- They are secular and do not promote religious beliefs, while respecting individuals’ rights to religion and beliefs.
- The list is obviously not exhaustive, but these groups all do good work...
| Organization | Type | What they do | Beneficiaries | Website |
| Doctors Without Borders | NGO | Emergency maternal & child health care, vaccinations & public health | Communities in complex emergencies | msf.org |
| International Committee for the Red Cross/ Crescent | International humanitarian organization | Impartial action for protection and assistance of civilians in accordance with international law | Prisoners, the wounded and sick, and civilians affected by conflict | icrc.org |
| International Crisis Group | NGO | Research & advocacy for conflict resolution & prevention | (The ICG guides) policy- & decision- makers towards peacebuilding; communities affected by war | crisisgroup.org |
| International Rescue Committee | NGO | Water & sanitation, health care, education, psychosocial (mental health) programmes for children | Refugees and communities in complex emergencies | theirc.org |
| Norwegian Refugee Council | International humanitarian organization | Food, shelter, education and legal assistance for refugees and the internally displaced | Refugees and internally displaced people | nrc.no/engindex.htm |
| Oxfam | NGO | Food security, water treatment & health care, conflict prevention advocacy | Communities in complex emergencies | oxfam.org/eng/programs_emer.htm |
| War Child Canada | NGO | Education, health care, & child rights programmes (via local organizations) | Children & communities in conflict zones | warchild.ca |
| War Child Holland | NGO | Psychosocial (mental health) programmes for children | Children in conflict zones | warchild.nl/eng_warchild.php?category=12 |
A note about donations
If people plan on giving a significant amount (a few thousand & more – but depends on the organization’s overall revenue), especially if they plan to do so for several years, they should strongly consider building a close relationship with the organization(s) and this way become more comfortable that the money is used appropriately, develop a good understanding of where the money is going (and why), and (perhaps) propose programmes.