© 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd

Ambulatory Child Health (2001) 7: 139

Book review

Helping the Children: A Practical Handbook forComplex Humanitarian Emergencies. (1999) AnnaMandalakas, Kristine Torjesen, Karen Olness, Eds.Health Frontiers; distributed by Johnson & JohnsonPaediatric Institute, PO Box 140097, St. Louis, MO63114–9907; (toll free) (877) 565–5465; Fax: (toll free)(877) 565–3299; http://www.PaediatricInstitute.com(click on ‘Catalog’). (Spanish edition available). ISBN 0960279075. Price: $12.50.

Despite economic prosperity and peace in the West,the well-being of children all over the globe isdeplorable. During the past 10 years, violent conflictshave left 2 million children dead, 1 million orphaned,8 million injured, 10 million suffering psychologicaltrauma, and 30 million displaced. Currently, 30000children under the age of 18 are serving as soldiersin the armed forces of over 30 countries. Complexhumanitarian emergencies are the most negative ofall potentially disruptive forces to the healthy devel-opment of a child. Civil conflict, economic collapse,and population displacement characterize these disasters. Doctors Mandalakas, Torjesen, and Olnesshave developed a handbook for people working inthese disruptive, chaotic environments. This is a short,lightweight, spiral-bound paperback, which introduceshumanitarian workers to the broad classes of issuesthat need to be addressed. One of the early chapterslays out the role of the major players in these situa-tions: How the United Nations, World Health Organi-zation, Red Cross, non-governmental organizations,local government organizations and coalition militaryforces may collaborate is laid out in a realistic way.Additional chapters on international law, human rights,and ethics provide salient information and practicaladvice to workers. Concrete issues of housing, sani-tation, nutrition and health care are all treated in adequate detail to at least get workers started in the

helping process in a culturally sensitive, child- andwoman-centred way. A section on child health assess-ment gives practical guidelines for gathering data. Thesection on epidemiology offers a crash course invocabulary and statistics. Chapters on medical carerange from a five-page crash course on how to delivera baby to tables with signs and symptoms and theirlikely differential diagnoses. World Health Organiza-tion immunization recommendations are provided. A very important aspect of helping is caring for the mental health and developmental needs of child victims. The handbook stresses ways of pre-venting mental health difficulties through the estab-lishment of routines, connections to caring adults, andpromoting resilience through education. Basic mentalhealth assessment and intervention are discussed.The handbook ends with an ample supply of re-sources, both in print and on the World Wide Web. Ifound this book a practical initial guide to most of thegeneral issues confronting those who provide care incomplex humanitarian emergencies. It is quick andeasy to read, and punctuated with excellent photos ofchildren and the authors working with them in the field.It is obviously meant to be an initial, not comprehen-sive or exhaustive resource for individuals just gettingstarted in the work of helping in complex human-itarian emergencies. I would recommend that it be read by anyone interested in participating in these situations.

Ronald V. MarinoDirector, General Paediatrics Winthrop-University Hospital

Professor of Clinical Paediatrics School of Medicine

State University of New York at Stony Brook New York College of Osteopathic Medicine

New York, USA