Development Studies

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/10564

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Disaster relief

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    The involvement of vulnerable children in child friendly spaces in Aceh, Indonesia : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2008) MacLeod, Heather
    The negative impact of natural and man-made disasters on children is well recognized and over the years different interventions have been introduced in communities so as to address the needs of affected children during humanitarian responses. In recent years though, the rights of children in humanitarian emergencies have been addressed more intentionally than previously. This has resulted in a new type of intervention that has evolved to address the psychosocial and protection needs of children through a range of creative, informative and supportive play activities and referral services offered in disaster affected communities. The activities have been supported by a range of Non Governmental Organisations and the United Nations. Commonly called 'Child Friendly Spaces'(CFSs), these programmes are now offered in most humanitarian emergencies. Drawing on literature from a range of social sciences and an analysis of qualitative research conducted in Tsunami affected Aceh, Indonesia, this study demonstrates that Government, United Nations and NGO stakeholders' understanding and approach to CFS programmes differs in terms of definitions of key concepts. The study also identifies the challenges in defining vulnerability at a community level and discusses whether CFS programmes do offer services to the most vulnerable children.
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    Capacity building and disaster response : a case study of NGOs' response to Cyclone Evan in Samoa : a research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of International Development at Massey University, New Zealand
    (The Author, 2015) Pycroft, Virginia
    With natural disasters increasing both in number and economic impact, the challenge for governments is to effectively respond to the needs of affected communities. In difficult conditions, and often with resource constraints, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have contributed to meeting the needs of affected communities during disaster responses. NGOs usually have flexible structures, which enable them to respond to a rapidly changing environment. They also often have strong links to the communities in which they work, which creates good synergies when responding to disasters. The involvement of NGOs in a disaster response has been discussed widely in the international community. The challenge is to ensure that NGOs have the capacity to respond effectively when the need arises. This report has a particular focus on Samoa and uses a capacity building lens to investigate a disaster response. It looks closely at the ability of NGOs to assist the Samoan government in a disaster response. The report used a document analysis and semi-structured interviews, with representatives from NGOs involved in the response to Cyclone Evan in 2012, to investigate capacity building in NGOs with a view to enabling them to respond effectively in disaster. The key finding of the report is that the ability of NGOs to form relationships with other stakeholders and to maintain those relationships between disaster responses is important to building partnerships that contribute to the effectiveness of a response.
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    A study of the incidence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among emergency relief workers in selected international organizations : prevailing conditions, policies and attitudes to stress-related illnesses in relief organizations : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Small, Alison Mary
    The staff of United Nations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are frequently at the forefront of emergency relief efforts. Such staff, including consultants, often work long hours, are sent at short notice to assignments in the field and often constitute the frontline of assistance in relief work. In the process of providing help to the victims of emergencies, relief workers may themselves be affected by the stress resulting from working in highly emotionally and physically charged situations. Since 1980, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was officially recognised as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association which may affect those who have been exposed and or experienced repeated exposure to large-scale disasters and emergencies, in particular. Given the multiple stresses involved in providing emergency relief, it is possible that relief workers may be vulnerable to developing PTSD and or other severe stress-related conditions. This study seeks to determine, from among the staff of several UN agencies and NGOs active in this area, the incidence of PTSD. The study also considers how the attitudes, policies and conditions extant in these organisations may exacerbate or alleviate the development of PTSD and provides suggestions, through a review of literature on the subject, on measures which can be taken by these organisations to prevent, minimize or at the very least address the problem.