Category: Children and Wellbeing

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Floods in Sri Lanka kill 15 people and force four million children out of classrooms

Source: Save The Children

A flooded residential area in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo credit: Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, 3 June, 2024. 
COLOMBO, Monday 3 June 2024 – Floods and landslides in Sri Lanka have killed at least 15 [1] people, including two children, and forced schools across the island nation to shut as the seasonal monsoon intensified over the weekend, said Save the Children.
A 3 year-old-child drowned and an 11-year-old child was buried alive in a mudslide, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), as the rains reached record levels in parts of the country.  
With 20 of the country’s 25 districts affected since the monsoon rains began, all schools have closed, putting learning out of reach for some four million children[2]. About 4,000[3] homes are damaged, according to the country’s Disaster Management Centre.
Save the Children staff have reported that canals in the capital were overflowing, with crocodiles seen lurking in the waterways. Electricity in up to five districts has also been cut off as a precautionary measure to avoid electrical shocks in flooded areas.
The monsoon rains began two weeks ago, but intensified over the weekend, leading to a record 400 millimetres of rain in parts of the country which has led to floods and landslides.
While monsoon rains are normal in Sri Lanka, impacts such as flooding are now more frequent and severe due to climate change, with school closures demonstrating the unique impacts of the climate crisis on children, Save the Children said.
Julian Chellappah, Country Director for Save the Children in Sri Lanka, said: “This intense destruction and disruption could bring huge long-term damage to children’s lives. A combination of the pandemic and economic crisis has affected children’s education, with an increase in school dropouts.”
“What we have seen this weekend is an example of how extreme weather events, made more frequent and severe due to climate change, are destroying children’s rights: disrupting their learning, ruining their homes and even causing death. For some families, disasters like this could leave them with absolutely nothing.” 
Save the Children in Sri Lanka has been supporting communities in Colombo, Ratnapura and Badulla to prepare for the monsoon rains by cleaning canals and blocked waterways. It has also provided canoes to communities and has trained first aid teams.
Save the Children is supporting the government’s response efforts and is preparing to provide essential items to children and families in the affected areas.
Save the Children has been working in Sri Lanka since 1974 to ensure children stay safe, healthy and educated. In 2023, the charity reached more than 340,000 people including 177,000 children across 15 districts in the country, ensuring children have nutritious food at school, improving access to protection services for children at risk of abuse, and providing cash grants for the most vulnerable families.
For interview requests and further information, please contact: 
Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Global Media Manager (Asia), Amy.Lefevre@savethechildren.org
Rachel Thompson, Asia Pacific Regional Media Manager rachel.thompson@savethechildren.org
Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409    
Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs.   
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Bonn conference: Number of children in crisis levels of hunger due to extreme weather events doubles in past five years – new analysis

Source: Save The Children

Rukia and her family, affected by drought in Ethiopia – one of the countries in which extreme weather events are the main driver of food insecurity. Photo by Seifu Asseged/Save the Children. More photos available here 
BONN, 3 June 2024 – The number of children facing crisis levels of hunger in the countries where extreme weather events are most impacting food supplies has more than doubled in the past five years including a 20% rise in 2023, according to new Save the Children analysis [1].  
The analysis was released as governments meet for a landmark “expert dialogue” on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on children at UN talks taking place in Bonn, Germany – the precursor to the COP29 summit later this year.  
Save the Children’s analysis showed that more than 33 million children and 39 million adults live in both the “crisis” phase 3 of hunger as determined by the IPC [2] and in the 18 countries where extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones, and floods were the main drivers of food insecurity [3].  
This means that in countries where extreme weather events were the main cause of hunger the number of people facing IPC Phase 3 and above has more than doubled from 29 million in 2018 – including 13 million children – to 72 million in 2023. [4] 
Rukia [5], a mother of 10, grows crops and raises livestock to feed her family in a rural area of Somali region in Ethiopia, one of the 18 countries in which food insecurity is mostly due to extreme weather events, according to the IPC. Like many people in this region, Rukia depends on herding and small-scale farming for survival.  
But her family’s livelihood faces constant threats from the recurring droughts that ravage the area, often resulting in the loss of their livestock—their main source of income and food. Feeding her family is a daily challenge and there are days when she struggles to provide even a single meal for her children.  
Rukia said: “For a long time, we’ve faced many tough times. Droughts have often left us without enough water or food for our animals. Because of this many of our animals, on which we rely, have died. Five years ago, a really bad drought killed almost all of them, and we felt very hopeless. 
“I faced significant challenges in providing my children with sufficient food. Meeting their educational needs and other essentials was also difficult. There were instances when they attended school on an empty stomach because I couldn’t afford to provide three meals a day. At times they only had one meal a day.” 
Food crises impact children disproportionately, Save the Children said. Without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, children are at high risk of becoming acutely malnourished. Malnutrition can cause stunting, impede mental and physical development, increase the risk of contracting deadly diseases, and ultimately cause death. It remains one of the biggest killers of children under five around the world today. 
Hunger can also bring protection risks for children, with food shortages pushing families to take desperate measures such as pulling children out of school to work or pushing them into early marriage. These threaten children’s wellbeing, safety, and futures. Girls are often disproportionately affected, more likely to be pulled out of school to secure food for their household, and to go without food so that boys can eat.  
Food insecurity is just one of the impacts of climate change that disproportionately affects children. Recently, extreme heat has forced schools to close around the world, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Philippines, to South Sudan.  
The expert dialogue on children and climate change at the UN Bonn Climate Change Conference on 4 June will be the first meeting focused on children in global climate negotiations. Save the Children hopes it will lead to a common understanding of the unique, disproportionate impacts of climate change on children and unlock more investment for and action towards climate policy solutions aimed specifically at children.  
A report published last year by Save the Children and partners found that just 2.4% of climate finance from key global climate funds can be classified as supporting projects incorporating child-responsive activities. Some funders have recently acknowledged this gap, for example the Green Climate Fund is actively working with partners to bridge child-focused climate finance. 
Jack Wakefield, Global Policy and Advocacy Lead for Climate Change at Save the Children, said:
“At its heart, the climate crisis is a child rights crisis. Children are at huge risk, despite being the least responsible for soaring global emissions – and this contrast is even starker for children facing hunger and conflict, inequality and discrimination.”  
“No child should have to go to school on an empty stomach, jeopardising their right to learn, play, grow healthily and develop. Families like Rukia’s, who depend on small-scale farming to survive, have done nothing to contribute to this crisis.  
“So it’s encouraging to see that for the first time, global climate negotiations are dedicating much needed space to discussing the unique, terrible impacts of the climate crisis on children’s rights and lives – and the solutions needed. For the sake of the world’s 2.4 billion children, let’s hope this builds momentum to putting children’s needs and voices at the centre of the global response to climate change – including the new climate finance goal – and that it helps catalyze the urgent action we need to see on every front.” 
Notes to Editor: 
[1] According to data from the Integrated Food Security Classification or IPC scale, a monitoring system for assessing hunger emergencies in 59 countries, 72 million people in 18 countries were facing IPC/CH Phase 3, defined as crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse, above, in countries where extreme weather was the main cause of hunger.  
Conflict remains the biggest driver overall of food insecurity having pushed 135 million people in 20 countries into hunger. Economic shocks were the main driver of hunger for 75 million people in 21 countries.  
The 18 countries where according to the IPC, weather extremes were the primary driver of hunger in 2023 were Angola, Burundi, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 
Child shares were calculated at a country level using 2023 estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Children made up 45% of the 72 million people, at about 33 million.  
The 22% increase in the number of children in IPC3+ in 2023 due to extreme weather compared to 2022 is based on a comparison of 15 of the 18 countries with comparable data between 2022 and 2023. Pakistan and Angola were excluded from the comparison percentage due to large increases in the share of the national population analysed in 2023. Colombia was excluded as there was no IPC for the country in 2022. 
 [2] Households in IPC3 either have food consumption gaps that are reflected by high or above-usual acute malnutrition or are only marginally able to meet food needs by depleting essential livelihood assets or through crisis-coping strategies. 
[3] Under the IPC’s global scale to monitor food and nutrition crises, Phase 3 is a crisis, Phase 4 is an emergency, and Phase 5 is used when the situation is reaching famine-like conditions. 
[4] The 29 million people includes an estimated 13 million children. 
[5] Save the Children has supported Rukia and other women in her community with a women’s self-help group to empower women, promote gender equality, and foster financial independence within the Somali community. 
We have climate change experts available as media spokespeople at Bonn conference. For interview requests please contact:  
Daphnee Cook, Global Head of News, Daphnee.Cook@savethechildren.org
 
Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409    
 
Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs. 

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THE POWER OF A SAFE PLACE TO PLAY

Source: Save The Children

More children than ever before are living in conflict zones.

​Fighting, violence, destruction of homes and communities, as well as loss of family, and schools can affect children’s physical and mental well-being. Additional insecurities around money, food, warmth and shelter can cause stress, anxiety and abuse at home.

Without the right support, the psychological toll of conflict on children can be huge on children’s well-being and long-term development.

Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to live a safe, happy and healthy life.

Save the Children has been able to help children to better cope with their experiences through mental health, and psychosocial support, often delivered through our Child-Friendly Spaces.  

Continue scrolling or click the menu along the top to learn how Save the Children supports children’s well-being in some of the world’s most challenging conflict zones.

* Names have been changed to protect identity.

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HORN OF AFRICA: 600K CHILDREN AFFECTED BY DEVASTATING FLOODS AS TORRENTIAL RAINS THREATEN FURTHER HAVOC

Source: Save The Children

Photo: Anna Rauhanen, Save the Children
NAIROBI, 31 May 2024 – Devastating floods and landslides have affected about 600,000 children across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia [1] so far this year, with the number potentially climbing to as high as 1.5 million by the end of the rains, according to Save the Children analysis.[2]
This has left people facing an increasing risk of hunger and led to a spike in cases of waterborne diseases such as cholera which hit children hardest. Almost 27,000 cases of cholera have been recorded across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia this year, with almost 60% of cases in Somalia among children under five [4].
The rains are the latest in a series of extreme weather events to hit East Africa. In November, devastating floods led to the deaths of at least 350 people and displaced over 2.3 million. Those floods followed the region’s worst drought in 40 years due to five failed rainy seasons.
On top of the naturally occurring El Niño which is currently winding down after beginning in June last year, human-induced climate change is making these kinds of extreme weather events more frequent and severe.  This year, El Nino has contributed to global warming temperatures, accelerating these climate change impacts, to which the Horn of Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.
Sharif*, 50, an elder at a camp for displaced people in Galkayo, Somalia, said the situation was getting worse every year. People living in the camps fear being washed away and losing their shelters which are made from tree branches and fabric when it floods.
“Previously, [the weather] used to be cold either during the night or the day, but now it’s hot 24/7. The rain comes with strong wind which even destroys trees. When we see rain coming, we get scared for our lives. When the rain starts and it’s dark, everyone is scared for their lives. Mothers hold their babies close to their chest. It’s one of the worst things you can experience.”
Fatima*, 60, and her grandchildren fled their home in central Beledweyne region in Somalia six months ago due to flooding. The family now lives in a camp for displaced people in Galkayo. Fatima’s daughter died two years ago, making her the sole guardian for her six grandchildren.
“I have experienced several floods, but the one late last year was the worst one I have ever seen. Previous ones were manageable, but this one destroyed everything. I don’t have any plan on how I can protect my family in any upcoming floods. We will decide when the next flood comes.”
Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International while on a visit to Kenya and Somalia, said:
“The impacts of these floods, linked to both El Niño and climate change, are disastrous for children and threaten their rights. It’s another all-too-frequent example of how the climate crisis disproportionately affects those who have done least to cause it and are least able to withstand its most damaging effects: children.
“Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, home to some 92 million children, are among the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis. Repeated food shortages, disease outbreaks and weather disasters such as these floods – all made worse by climate change – leave millions of children hungry, homeless, out of school, exposed to protection risks and fearful of the next disaster.  
“Children are bearing the brunt of more extreme weather events in an increasingly unequal world. We need to see much more ambition on child-responsive climate finance from high-income countries and historical emitters that that puts children’s distinct needs and vulnerabilities front and centre – recognising that when disaster like these floods strikes, it affects a child’s whole world. They must also commit to climate adaptation measures and help build the resilience of communities to climate-related shocks — in both the near and longer term.” 
In Kenya, unrelenting rainfall across much of the country since March has led to flash flooding which has so far killed at least 315 people, including 73 children and displaced over 290,000 people. Flooding forced the closure of schools and has damaged and destroyed roads, farms, bridges, schools and health facilities.[5] Refugees living the Dadaab camps have been displaced once again.
In Somalia, heavy rains and flash floods have affected 226,000 people, two thirds of them children. Almost 39,000 people have been displaced, while thousands of families have lost their livelihoods. Cases and deaths of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera continue to rise. [6]
Across Ethiopia, heavy rains and floods since early April have affected 590,000 people and has caused significant damage to homes, infrastructure and farms, exacerbating the impact of the conflict, drought and ongoing cholera outbreak.[7]
Save the Children has worked in the Horn of Africa for over 70 years and is a national and international leader in humanitarian and development programming in health, nutrition, water hygiene and sanitation, education, child protection and child rights governance. In 2023, Save the Children reached 12.5 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, including more than 6.9 million children.
In the Horn of Africa and across the world, Save the Children is working with governments to find ways to increase funding for climate policies and actions that protect children’s rights.  Save the Children is implementing climate programmes in over 50 countries worldwide and delivering direct climate action – from working with communities to adapt to climate changes impacting them now, to forecasting future emergencies and strengthening communities’ ability to anticipate, adapt, prepare, respond, and recover. 
Save the Children hopes that the “expert dialogue” on children and climate change at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Bonn Intersessionals next week will lead to a shared, evidence-based understanding of the unique and disproportionate impacts of climate change on children. 
For more information please contact:
[1] Save the Children analysis based on latest affected totals from UN OCHA.  For Kenya and Ethiopia, we applied national child shares based on UN data to estimate children affected. For Somalia, we applied UNICEF’s estimate of share of children affected to the latest total of people affected from UN OCHA. Data accessed 29 May.
[2] Based on Save the Children’s analysis of contingency plan figures the number of children affected could rise to more than 1.5 million. Contingency planning figures for Ethiopia and Somalia based on data from UN OCHA. Kenya data based on the latest total number of people affected. Child estimates calculated as above.
[5] [6] [7] UN OCHA.

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Leaders must take action to protect children in India as country swelters through record-breaking heatwave – Save the Children

Source: Save The Children

NEW DELHI, 31 May 2024: India is grappling with one of its worst heatwaves on record, with temperatures touching 50°C in many regions of north India and children’s health being tested to the extreme, says Save the Children (known in India as Bal Raksha Bharat).

As the country grapples with increasingly severe heatwaves, the nation’s most vulnerable population, its children, face significant health and developmental risks, including dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. Prolonged exposure to such high temperatures can lead to long-term health issues, says the child rights agency, affecting children’s physical and cognitive development. 

Rising temperatures can also exacerbate the spread of diseases, increasing levels of malnutrition, with children from marginalized communities, who often lack access to adequate shelter, clean water, and healthcare, disproportionately affected. 

The news comes as the World Health Assembly passed a landmark resolution recognising the impact that climate change has on health in Geneva last night, and ahead of the first ever meeting focused on children in global climate negotiations at the UN Bonn Climate Change Conference next week. Save the Children is calling on leaders to address these extreme weather conditions, exacerbated by the global climate crisis. 

Sudarshan Suchi, CEO of Bal Raksha Bharat [Save the Children in India] said:

 “As we face unprecedented sweltering weather conditions, our community’s resilience is being tested like never before. Though summer conditions have never before required a humanitarian response, we are continuously monitoring data and the situation, and may need to treat this like a disaster. Meanwhile, across our project locations in affected regions, we are ensuring children coming to our activity centres have access to clean drinking water and umbrellas, and we will help the community navigate this challenging time.

“With high temperatures, children are particularly susceptible to heat-related illnesses due to their higher body surface area relative to their weight and their bodies’ slower acclimatization to temperature changes. The increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves in India are alarming and demand immediate action. Protecting our children from the adverse effects of climate change is not just a moral imperative but a necessity for sustainable development. We must act now to safeguard the future of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

These extreme weather patterns are not isolated incidents but are directly linked to the broader global climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, will continue to rise unless immediate and concerted global action is taken.”

Save the Children calls upon the Indian government, civil society, and international community to take urgent and comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of heatwaves on children. These include implementing advanced heatwave prediction and alert systems to prepare and protect vulnerable populations; Building and upgrading infrastructure to withstand extreme weather conditions, including heat-resistant school buildings and community centres; and advocating for stronger international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing countries. 

Save the Children hopes that the expert dialogue on children and climate change at the UN Bonn Climate Change Conference on 4 June will lead to a common understanding of the unique, disproportionate impacts of climate change on children and unlock more investment for and action towards climate policy solutions aimed specifically at children.  

About Bal Raksha Bharat 

Bal Raksha Bharat, also known as Save the Children India, is dedicated to improving the lives of children through education, healthcare, and protection. With a focus on ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive, the organization works tirelessly to address the root causes of child poverty and vulnerability. 

For more information or to support our efforts, please visit www.balrakshabharat.orgor contact  Geeta Lama – Manager – Media & Communication  geeta.lama@balrakshabharat.org  / +91 7708655058 

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Bangladesh: More than 270,000 children homeless after Cyclone Remal batters coastal area

Source: Save The Children

DHAKA, 30 May, 2024: More than 270,000 children in Bangladesh have lost their homes or are living in damaged houses after a severe cyclone ripped off roofs, swamped villages and cut power to millions of people, said Save the Children.

Cyclone Remal tore through south west Bangladesh on 26 May with winds of up to 75 miles (120 km) per hour and tidal surges of 8-12 feet (2-3.5 metres) above normal levels. About 3.75 million people have been affected by the storm [1], including an estimated 1.6 million children, with 16 people killed.

At least 150,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged across 19 districts, according to government assessments so far, impacting an estimated 639,000 people of which about 274,000 are children [2].  Community health clinics in many areas are not operating due to the floods.

An estimated half a million people are still marooned by the flood waters and only accessible by boat. Villages have been turned into islands and cut off by the flood waters, with extensive damage to agricultural land and shrimp and fish farms, key sources of income for many families, destroyed. Wells and reservoirs have been severely damaged in areas that already had limited access to clean water due to rising levels of salt. 

More than 17 million people are still without electricity [1] after the storm brought down power lines and mobile phone towers and uprooted thousands of trees, blocking roads and hampering the relief effort.

Ahmed*, 57, was at home when the cyclone hit and water came flooding into his house. He said:

“My house is completely underwater and I have not gone back inside since. When I was in the house, the water was up to my neck and no one came to get me. Some people’s houses floated away, some of their houses collapsed. My goats floated away, all 3 of them.“

Save the Children has sent four emergency response teams including a medical team to Satkhira and Patuakhali districts where staff have distributed food packages and are providing emergency shelters and kitchen and hygiene kits. Due to preparation and planning, our five water treatment plants in Satkhira were able to keep operating during the storm using generators and are now providing a vital source of clean water for 20,000 people. 

Shumon Sengupta, Country Director, Save the Children in Bangladesh, said:

‘Children in these coastal areas of Bangladesh were already in need of support before the cyclone and now more than 270,000 have lost their homes or are living in ruined buildings. 

Children and their families immediately need shelter, food and clean drinking water. In the long term, however, they will need so much more. Livelihoods have been destroyed and families, already some of the poorest in Bangladesh, have little means of making money to support their children.

The devastating impacts of Cyclone Remal has further reduced the ability of communities to cope with climate shocks and stresses. Slow onset crises are also affecting children’s lives. Saltwater intrusion is already impacting nearly 6 million people, or nearly 4% of the population, in Bangladesh but is forecast to increase to 13.6 million people in 2050 and 14.8 million in 2080 [3].

World leaders need to act now to urgently reduce warming temperatures, tackle the impacts of climate change, and help countries such as Bangladesh prepare and respond to these disasters. They need to ensure that children’s futures – particularly those affected by poverty, inequality and discrimination who are disproportionately impacted – are protected.”

Save the Children has been working in Bangladesh for more than 50 years. Together with government, civil society organizations and businesses we respond to major emergencies, deliver development programmes and ensure that children’s voices are heard through our campaigning to build a better future.

Notes to editors

*denotes name changed to protect identity

[1] https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-cyclone-remal-2024-situation-report-no-03-29-may-2024

[2] 43% of population of Bangladesh are aged 0-17. The average household size is 4.26  (HIES 2022)
[3] https://www.icccad.net/wpcontent/uploads/2019/04/Panii_Jibon_ICCCAD_Action_Research_Report_2019.pdf

We have spokespeople available in Bangladesh.

For interview requests and further information, please contact:

Rachel Thompson, Asia Pacific Regional Media Manager rachel.thompson@savethechildren.org

Emily Wight, Global Media Manager, Emily.Wight@savethechildren.org

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409   

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Expression of Interest – Supplies of Programmatic and Food Items into Cyprus

Source: Save The Children

Save the Children is inviting suppliers to express their interest in future opportunities for the supply of various commodities into Cyprus, as part of the wider Gaza response. Further information can be found in the ‘Expression of Interest‘ document and the the ‘Bidder Response Document‘, including a full list of the commodities required.

Before expressing your interest, please be aware:

  1. This is an expression of interest only, and there is no guarantee of a contract or orders being place. Should there be a demand in the future, Save the Children will engage with identified suppliers as per its defined Procurement Procedures, which may include direct contracting or an open tender process.
  2. Suppliers wishing to express their interest must submit their response using the ‘Bidder Response Template‘ provided and include the reference number (EOI/MENAEE/KITS/2024/001) and supplier name in the email subject.
  3. Save the Children will accept responses from suppliers who can either fully or partially supply the full list of goods.
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At least 66 people including children killed in four days of attacks on “safe zones” in Rafah

Source: Save The Children

  • Attacks on ‘humanitarian areas’ highlight fallacy of the claim that civilians are safe anywhere in Gaza

RAMALLAH, 29 May 2024 – In the wake of four deadly days where dozens of people seeking safety in Rafah in southern Gaza have been killed and hundreds wounded, Save the Children is calling for urgent action to protect civilians in Rafah and across the Gaza strip.

The attacks come less than a week after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to “immediately” halt its military offensive in Rafah, to protect lives and let in essential aid supplies. Instead, brutal violence in Rafah has escalated, with at least 66 people killed and hundreds more wounded, including children.

Rafah has been under constant bombardment since the ICJ ruling on Friday. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza and the UN, at least 21 people were killed, including women and children, in a major attack on Tuesday that hit a displaced persons camp in Rafah [1]. The ministry said 64 people were wounded, with 10 in a critical condition. On Sunday, at least 45 people were killed and 250 injured, the majority women and children, in an Israeli attack on a camp for those displaced from the southern city of Rafah, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza [2].

Xavier Joubert, Save the Children’s Country Director in the occupied Palestinian Territory, said:

“In a conflict already characterised by civilian harm, we are staggered by this further escalation of violence against children and families, more so that it comes just days after the new ICJ ruling ordering Israel to cease its military activity in Rafah. The ICJ’s ruling creates legal obligations which must be adhered to. Instead, these obligations are being categorically ignored.

“What more evidence do leaders need to show there is absolutely nowhere safe for children and families in Gaza? They are permanently, constantly, fleeing for their lives, from one danger zone to another. And they’re not fleeing randomly – they’re going to the areas that Israel directed them to go to “for their own safety”. Then they are being attacked.

“For those who haven’t yet been hit by explosive weapons fired directly into civilian areas, they are suffering the slow, agonizing effects of starvation. Children’s mental and physical health is being pushed beyond breaking point, as they suffer unimaginable mental harm from the violence, serious physical injuries, including the loss of body parts, and the loss of families, homes, and their schools. 

“The UN Security Council meets again today to pass a resolution to end the killing in Gaza. All eyes are on Rafah. The world is watching how leaders react and will judge their decision to either save lives or condemn the people of Gaza to further suffering.  

“We strongly condemn any expansion of military operations in Rafah and continued attacks on families across Gaza. The only way to save children’s lives is an immediate, definitive ceasefire.”

NOTES: 

[1] UN OCHA Flash appeal https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-171 

[2] Ministry of Health in Gaza Report, 28 May 2024

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Save the Children to respond to Enga landslide as Papua New Guinea grapples with devastation

Source: Save The Children

PORT MORESBY, 29 May 2024: Save the Children will provide much-needed aid to communities impacted by the devastating landslide in Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s remote Enga Province, as the extent of the disaster unfolds amid ongoing relief efforts.
In the early hours of 24 May, a massive landslide and rockfall hit Yambali village, in Papua New Guinea’s Enga Province, burying at least 150 homes under six to eight meters of rock and soil.

UN agencies have said that more than 670 people have died since the landslide struck, with that figure likely to rise, as PNG’s national disaster agency has said that more than 2,000 people may have been buried in the landslide.

An estimated 6,000 people have been affected by the disaster and are in urgent need of aid, though the number could be higher as the affected area is a place of refuge for people who have been displaced by tribal violence.
Save the Children Australia’s Head of Humanitarian and Global Programs, Melanie Book, said the immediate needs for children and families in the impacted area included access to critical humanitarian assistance, such as food, clean water, hygiene, shelter, and education.
“We are extremely concerned about the impact of this devastating landslide on children and their families in the affected area of Enga Province, as this has fast become one of the worst disasters ever to hit PNG,” Ms Book said.
“As the challenging situation in Enga continues to unfold, the needs of the affected communities are growing, with essentials such as shelter, food, water, and basic household items the most pressing in the immediate term.
“We are particularly concerned about the protection risks facing women and children with the current lack of shelter, the remoteness of the affected area and tribal conflict in the Highlands.
 
“Child protection must be prioritised in the disaster response because we know that children are especially vulnerable during disasters. This includes access to books and learning materials, which help children continue to learn as well as process the psychosocial impact of the disaster.
“In order to aid their recovery, impacted children and their families will need a wide range of psychological support after witnessing the devastation wreaked by the landslide and the tragic loss of loved ones.”
As part of its response in coordination with NGO partners, Save the Children will distribute shelter kits, hygiene kits, and essential household items as well as solar lights to families who have been directly impacted by the disaster. The humanitarian organisation also has pre-positioned stocks of items such as tarps, child play kits and school backpacks which can be provided to evacuees.
Notes to Editors:
Save the Children has been working in the Pacific region for more than 50 years and has offices and programs in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tonga. We work with governments, local partners and communities to deliver child protection, healthcare, education, disaster risk reduction and climate resilience programs. We respond to emergencies across the region and help communities prepare for the next emergency by building the capacity of local communities to respond first and ensuring our responses support recovery. 

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GAZA: New crossing points and ‘floating dock’ are cosmetic changes, as humanitarian access disintegrates in Gaza, warn aid agencies

Source: Save The Children

Jerusalem, 28 May 2024 – As Israeli attacks intensify on Rafah, the unpredictable trickle of aid into Gaza has created a mirage of improved access while the humanitarian response is in reality on the verge of collapse, warn 20 aid agencies. The latest Israeli attacks on a displacement camp near UN aid facilities in Rafah reportedly killed dozens of people, including children, and injured many more. The ability of aid groups and medical teams to respond has now all but crumbled, with temporary fixes such as a ‘floating dock’ and new crossing points having little impact.

Aid agencies now fear an acceleration in deaths from starvation, disease and denied medical assistance, while land and sea entry points remain effectively shut to meaningful humanitarian assistance, most desperately fuel, and attacks in areas sheltering civilians intensify. 

 The systematic obstruction at Israeli-controlled crossing points, intensified hostilities, and prolonged telecommunications blackouts have reduced the volume of aid entering Gaza, including food, fuel, and medical supplies, to some of the lowest levels witnessed in the last seven months, said 20 aid agencies.  

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) – one of the largest humanitarian and medical providers in Gaza – has been unable to get any supplies into the enclave since May 6. The lack of clean water supplies puts patients at high risk of disease. Yet, desalination kits and submersible pumps to set up sustainable water systems to provide water, are almost always denied by the Israeli authorities. 

Challenges to distribute aid safely within the enclave have also reached a new high. In less than three weeks, nearly one million Palestinians have been newly displaced into overcrowded areas which lack the means to support human life. Continued concerns for the protection of aid operations, including the safety of aid workers, and the proliferation of Israeli checkpoints within Gaza also continue to hamper the humanitarian response. 

Zenab, a pregnant woman whose husband was killed in an Israeli air strike, told CARE International in March she fled from Gaza City to Rafah and then to Khan Younis. She had to walk hours on end to different pharmacies, hospitals, and health centers to find medication to deal with pregnancy complications, and could not find enough drinking water or food. Her doctor has said she needs a C-section and is due to give birth next week, but fears there may be no space in any of the remaining partially functioning hospitals. 

Gaza’s health system has been effectively dismantled. Virtually every hospital in Gaza has either been issued ‘evacuation orders’, is under an Israeli siege or will soon run out of fuel and supplies. Rafah’s largest hospital, Abu Yousef al-Najjar, has been forced to shut down following an Israeli-issued ‘evacuation order’ and no hospital in northern Gaza is currently accessible. Medical workers across Gaza say patients are dying daily due to a shortage in medical supplies, as doctors, nurses, and other health workers continue to be killed or forcibly displaced.  

Save the Children said children were no longer able to be medically evacuated from Gaza and are struggling to cope with the horrors they are facing daily and the loss of family and loved ones and are in desperate need of psychosocial support.

Oxfam partner organization Juzoor said on 19 May that six of the already overcrowded shelters they supported in Jabaliya in northern Gaza were completely destroyed by Israeli bombardment. The shelters had medical services and were hosting displaced people from surrounding areas in the north.  Staff members who fled the area returned to find patient beds burnt and critical medical equipment and supplies destroyed.

In southern Gaza, the flow aid has been completely cut off. All bakeries in Rafah have been forced to shut. Dwindling supplies, the inability to access warehouses storing aid, and insecurity, has forced aid agencies to suspend distributions in the south, and may soon be forced to suspend in Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City as supplies are rapidly depleting. Many Palestinians are now surviving on less than 3% of their daily water needs as temperatures rise dangerously high and diseases like diarrhea and hepatitis rapidly spread.  

Announcements of additional crossing points and initiatives, including the new ‘floating dock’, have given an illusion of improvement, but have largely amounted to cosmetic changes. Between May 7 and 27, just over 1,000 truckloads of aid entered Gaza through all crossing points combined, including the newly built ‘floating dock,’ according to UN counts. This is alarmingly low given the skyrocketing humanitarian needs of Gaza’s 2.2 million people, and much lower when compared to most other periods in the last seven months. 

The Rafah crossing, one of the main entry points for humanitarian workers and aid into Gaza, has been shut since May 7, when Israeli forces seized the crossing point. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 aid trucks remain waiting in Arish in Egypt for Israel to allow them entry, with food rotting and medicines expiring as families face heightened levels of starvation a few miles away. While Kerem Shalom remains officially open, commercial trucks rather have been prioritized, and the movement of aid remains unpredictable, inconsistent, and critically low.

Aid agencies and human rights organizations continue to call for an immediate, sustained ceasefire to save and protect, and for consistent and predictable routes to bring aid into and across Gaza. All parties must protect humanitarian access and delivery of aid. Organizations call on the warring parties to adhere to international humanitarian law (IHL), and for Israel to uphold the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings, including its most recent order for Israel to halt its military offensive on Rafah. The international community, including third party governments and UN Security Council members, remain bound by their obligations under IHL, and the ICJ rulings, to ensure Palestinians are protected.  

Aid agencies are working around the clock, trying to deliver lifesaving aid under the most impossible circumstances, but there is little more that can be done if States continue to shirk their legal obligations  and moral responsibility to secure a ceasefire.  

Editor’s Note  

  • Aid agencies have repeatedly cautioned that any attempts to get aid into Gaza by air and sea – which remain inefficient, costly, and even dangerous – cannot replace land crossings and risk becoming a distraction from addressing the barriers aid agencies are facing on the ground. The pre crisis average per working day of trucks entering Gaza was 500, including fuel. 
  • Between May 7-23, 906 truckloads of aid entered the Gaza Strip via all land and sea crossing points combined, and another 160 truckloads of aid entered between May 24-26, totaling 1,066. 
  • More than 81,026 Palestinians in Gaza remain critically injured and all medical evacuations out of Gaza have come to a halt since Israel’s seized the Rafah crossing on 7 May. An estimated 14,000 critically ill and injured patients require lifesaving treatment abroad.
  • A total of 4,500 trucks, including commercial as well as aid trucks, remain waiting at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.
  • At the Kerem Shalom land crossing, Israeli authorities are now prioritizing commercial trucks over aid, meaning the food and other supplies entering will not reach those most desperately in need. 
  • Access through Erez West (Zikim) remaining severely restricted. 
  • More than 266 aid workers,  the majority Palestinian have been killed.  
  • Since May 7, humanitarian organizations in the Logistics Cluster have been unable to access storage facilities, facilitate storage services or operate the cargo notification system to support humanitarian actors. 
  • As of May 7, more than 450,000 people were in the Al-Mawasi area, according to UNRWA, and this number has increased since attacks on Rafah intensified. 

AGENCY SIGN ON: 

  1. Premiere Urgence Internationale 
  2. Médecins du Monde France
  3. Médecins du Monde Switzerland
  4. Médecins du Monde Spain
  5. Danish Refugee Council
  6. Norwegian Refugee Council
  7. CARE International
  8. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
  9. Oxfam
  10. Save the Children International 
  11. Plan International
  12. Amnesty International
  13. ActionAid International 
  14. Humanity & Inclusion/ Handicap International (HI)
  15. Norwegian People’s Aid
  16. War Child Alliance
  17. Secours Islamique France
  18. Action For Humanity
  19. Islamic Relief
  20. Mercy Corps

For further enquiries please contact: 

Randa Ghazy, Regional Media Manager for North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe: Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org; 

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409 

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