COVID-19 on Children: Faith and Spiritual Nourishment as Key Factors - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
ISPCAN COVID-19 WEBINAR SERIES The Emotional and Spiritual Impact of COVID-19 on Children: Faith and Spiritual Nourishment as Key Factors for the Protection and Resilience of Children April 23, 2020 Silvia Mazzarelli, Arigatou
April 23, 2020 Silvia Mazzarelli, Arigatou International/GNRC
1. Falling into Poverty 2. Learning 3. Safety and Protection 4. Survival and Health (UN policy Brief on the Impact of COVID-19 on Children)
development is.
the primary responsibility to provide the means and life conditions for this comprehensive development.
(Puchalski, 2009).
SIX ELEMENTS: 1. Embedded with notion of child, inherent 2. It’s a Process 3. Search 4. Relationships 5. Environment 6. Not just within religion
in every human being, deeply interconnected with other human dimensions.
Constant search for the meaning and purpose of life.
Ethics of Care “UBUNTU”: I AM BECAUSE YOU ARE Connection and relation with:
In summary:
to society
contribute significantly to the comprehensive development of children, particularly by nurturing their spiritual dimension.
with religious teachings:
physical, emotional, social,, and spiritual needs.
lives of the most of the world’s population and most people turn to religious guidance and support in times of acute need and crisis.
Spiritual capital - faith traditions can uniquely draw on and engage faith resources and authority - through prayer, sermons, sacred texts and religious rituals. This can play a key role in transforming beliefs and practices that underpin child maltreatment, reaffirming religious imperatives for protection and prevention and stand against the moral normalisation or silencing of abuse. Social capital - faith actors bring social influence, organisations, funds, buildings, people and motivation to the EVAC task. However they are used by secular actors as instrumentally valuable only. This involves no engagement with their spiritual aspects Access capital - faith leaders are used only as initial gatekeepers to the local community. They are employed in token, one off ways by the wider child sector to 'open the gate' only. They are seen to play no ongoing positive roles in the EVAC task and may even be seen as a liability.
1. Fear and anxiety about self-isolation and physical/social distancing 2. Psychological and emotional stability is affected by the increasing uncertainty regarding their future 3. Confinement measures and lockdowns have broken their connections with others 4. Children are asking themselves existential questions 5. And when the responses they receive fail to address their questions, it breaks the sense of trust and respect for other human beings.
1. Spiritual nourishment (or faith and spiritual nourishment) in children can be an important source of resilience an protection, especially in the context of adverse situations:
existential needs and questions
the suffering
uncertainties
strengths as survivors
experiences.
The relationship between resilience and spirituality from the Literature Review (Andrade, 2016)
1. Spiritual nurture and care need to be interdisciplinary 2. Governments cannot provide an adequate and meaningful response to the impact of the pandemic on children; It has failed in address some crucial dimensions of comprehensive wellbeing of the children 3. We believe it is important to acknowledge the unique contribution of different stakeholders, including faith actors. 4. Bring everyone to the table and Work more Together!