Symposium on Adolescent Children [Archives:2000/17/Health]

Yasser M. Ahmed,
Yemen Times

A couple of days ago and for the first time, our country witnessed Children’s Parliament Elections. These elections were organized successfully by Nushata’a Association. It aims at establishing and creating awareness about democratic institutions, norms and values among children and making them conscious of their rights.
The orphanage in collaboration with Sana’a University, Faculty of Arts, Psychology Department, organized a Symposium on Children, last Wednesday, April 19,2000. They symposium discussed the different stages of adolescence and how to treat teenagers. It also discussed the psychological health of orphans and how to deal with them.
Abdulmalik Mohammed Al-Wadae’a, Director of Orphanage delivered the welcome speech. He discussed the history of the orphanage which was founded in 1962. The orphanage has played an important role in nursing a large number of children, preventing them from falling victims to juvenile delinquency. In 1990 especially after the return of a large number of migrants to the country, there was a spurt in juvenile crimes. In this backed drop orphanage intensified its effort to protect the increasing class of juvenile from going astray.
He requested generous help from charitable people and Child Rights Associations in order to enable the orphanage to carry out its mission properly in view of the crucial role, the orphanage is going to play in the rehabilitation of the juvenile population. Orphans must be taught to be qualified and assimilate themselves to the main stream after they graduated.
The Orphanage in a Nutshell:
1- The orphanage is a government institution, established in 1962. It shifted to its current building in 1978.
2- It consists of four hotels, a school and a health center.
3- It receives different categories of orphans (repudiated, parentless, and destitute boys) and sons of patients with chronic diseases and the sons of convicts.
4- It provides for its boarders educational and living services (clothing, board and lodging Éetc), in addition to the medical services (therapeutic and preventive).
5- It has been approved as a general apartment vide the Prime Minister decree No. 441/1999.
6- It has a Charitable Council of Guardians established in 1991, the membership of which is open to all. This Council monitors charitable aids donated to the orphanage and determines its useful spending according to the priorities.
7- It has a well-organized carpentry workshop for vocational training. We are still exploring potential financing sources with a view to establishing more vocational and technical training workshops.
8- It is equipped with a computer laboratory.
9- The students (between 7-18 years old) receive both basic and secondary education.
10- It organizes various educational and extra function/activities (cultural, sport, health, social and artistic) for sustained development of the students’ creative potential.
Dr. Rahma Mohammed Saleh, Representative of Coordination Association for Children Organizations said: “In the year 1995, 73 Coordination Associations were formed in all over seven governorates of the Republic. These associations aim at improving children’s condition and sent a report to the United Nations. She renewed her commitment to take the orphanage to greater heights”.
Mr. Khalid Al-Ansi, Spokesman of Nushata’a Corporation delivered the welcome speech in which he appreciated the fortitude of the inmates bear with difficulties inside the orphanage. He highlighted that Nushata’a is an voluntary cooperative institution working towards physical psychological welfare of children. It organized Children Parliament, 2000 as a promotional activity to foster democratic values and create awareness among children. The organization took into its fold orphanages and handicapped schools.
Dr. Aeid Abdulkareem, Professor in Psychology Department, Faculty of Arts, Sana’a University, delivered a lecture in which he discussed the different stages of adolescence of children, and the appropriate ways to treat them. A number of songs came as interludes in between that lecture, bringing to focus the realities the children had to face.
Orphans are the most vulnerable category in the society. Taking care of them is a religious, national, and humanitarian duty. If the government establishes and finances orphanages in different governorates, it will reduce suffering of orphans.
Charitable institutions should unleash efforts to encourage generous people to children from the orphanage and help in establishing schools for them. He also appealed to the NGOs and other International Organizations, especially those who are working in the field of children’s rights have to carry out their responsibility towards these children as well.
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