Category: Children and Wellbeing

Source: Save The Children

Baby Ahmed*, 7 months, is being treated for malnutrition and tuberculosis at a Stabilisation centre fully supported by Save the Children in Somalia. Mustafa Saeed / Save the Children

It’s World Health Day today. 2024’s theme is “My health, my right”. Every year, we use this day to draw people’s attention to urgent health challenges in the world, and remind world leaders to step up and ensure every child and person worldwide can realise their right to health.

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This year, amidst 70 elections worldwide, from the USA to the EU, Uruguay, and Botswana, it’s evident that health is intricately tied to political choices made globally. Whom we elect matters greatly to address half of the world’s population that is still lacking access to basic health services.

The fate of health for all rests in the hands of new leaders. Their decisions will shape progress towards universal access to health. What key global health challenges must these new leaders address, and how can they safeguard the right to health for all?

Joseph, 2, holds his father’s hand outside their home in Bungoma, Kenya. Sarah Waiswa / Save the Children

We see a marginalisation of global health on political agendas

When reading the current headlines, global health risks to become marginalised by world leaders. The urgent need to strengthen health systems for global health emergencies remains largely rhetoric. This shortfall hits children the hardest, as they still remain most vulnerable to diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, or malaria—conditions preventable with vaccines, yet reliant on a robust primary healthcare system for delivery.

Policy-makers seem to have overlooked a crucial lesson from Covid-19: nations with robust primary healthcare systems were far better at ensuring continued access to essential health services for children (and people) while responding to the pandemic.

Global health funding hangs in the balance of key donor elections

The Centre for Global Development states that in 2024, people in 6 out of 10 key donor states will cast their votes, influencing the future of global health funding and hence the health of millions in low and middle income countries. Competing global health replenishments in 2024 and 2025 could exacerbate donor fatigue, diverting essential funds from key global health initiatives. This comes on top of the trend of (further) declining foreign development assistance for health.

Donors are under pressure to balance domestic and international spending priorities, including urgent climate financing, humanitarian aid for crises such as Ukraine and Gaza, and preparing for future migration leaving about 131 million people forcibly displaced or stateless in 2024. Rising public preference for domestic spending over international aid, and media’s short attention spans could further weaken spending for health.

Manal, 18, and her sister Fatima, 12, get vaccinated against cholera at a Save the Children-supported site in Sudan. Sacha Myers / Save the Children

There’s an urgent need to break down silos for sustainable health access

Social determinants of health such as poverty, housing, education or nutritional security significantly impact people’s and children’s health. Yet, ministries and policy-makers often dispute over resources instead of breaking down siloes. This threatens the sustainability of policies aimed at improving everyone’s health and nutrition, including the most marginalised.

This is very worrisome – especially in times when children from the poorest households are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday compared to those from wealthier homes. Learn more with Save the Children’s Child Tracker

Civic space for health advocacy is under siege, both locally and globally

When considering present and upcoming elections, it’s evident that people require more than just free and fair polls; they need ample room for civic engagement to advocate for their right to health.

Unfortunately, this space is shrinking globally, with 86% of the world’s population living in countries with diminishing civic space.

Similarly, we have long witnessed shrinking civic space to speak out for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) or gender equality in global multilateral fora. These developments need to be counteracted at all levels. SRHR is a human right and should never be under debate.

Workshop with parents about the importance of communicating positively with children, Bolivia. Maria Olguin / Save the Children

On this World Health Day, let’s remember the vital role of political leadership in safeguarding the right to health for all. We need leaders who actively champion global health by:

 1.  Strengthening health systems and maximising available resources

Leaders must prioritize building climate-resilient primary health care systems that can respond to global health emergencies while continuing to deliver quality essential services to all, including children. This requires stepping up global health and nutrition funding, backing initiatives like Gavi, the GFF, the Global Fund, Nutrition for Growth and WHO.

It’s also about aligning policies and funding streams to maximize impact and support national priorities, not creating new funds that fragment the system. At the same time, it’s imperative to find sustainable solutions for the debt of many lower-middle-income nations, allowing countries to increase resources to invest in essential health services as part of Universal Health Coverage.

2.  Providing political leadership to fight health inequities

Access to healthcare facilities or healthcare workers alone cannot ensure health for all (children). If the bus bringing you to the healthcare facility is too far away, too expensive, or you simply lack the time to go because of your five jobs feeding your family, you will not bring your sick child to the facility.

This is why we require multi-sectoral and whole-of-government strategies which address health holistically. This starts with recognizing that health is a political choice and for leaders to take that choice for people and children globally, no matter whether it can benefit their re-election in a few years or not.

3.  Ensuring meaninful participation of children and civil society in decision-making

Children’s voices are crucial as they represent our future, and today’s decisions shape their tomorrow. At Save the Children, we not only believe in the power of civil society and children’s voices; it’s the foundation of our work. That’s why we advocate for the active participation of civil society in decision-making, such as through establishing institutionalised spaces as part of the upcoming resolutions on social participation in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

 Find out more about our work on health worldwide.

Source: Save The Children

Save the Children is one of the few international NGOs registered in both Gaza and Egypt.

Since the beginning of the war, we’ve procured and transported essential supplies into Gaza in collaboration with our longstanding partner, the Egyptian Red Crescent.

So far, our teams in Egypt have procured more than 684,000 litres of water, 5,000 food parcels and 3,000 baby kits.

Thanks to our partnership with Community Jameel, we’re supporting medical evacuees arriving in Egypt from Gaza. This includes providing medical equipment and training first responders to care for newborn and premature babies.

In addition to our work in Egypt, we’ve supported 39,000 people, including 15,000 children, in Lebanon who’ve been displaced by escalating violence.

In Lebanon, we’ve provided clean water, food, learning materials, hygiene products and other essential supplies. We’ve also provided education and child protection support, including mental health and psychosocial support services.

Source: Save The Children

Source: Save The Children

Yvenson and Peterson’s family on the porch of the house in Haiti. Vanessa Batres/Save the Children

Words by Pierre Joseph*, 34, a Save the Children advisor in Haiti. Pierre Joseph has worked as a humanitarian staffer for more than 13 years, inspired to help his community by his father, who was also passionate about supporting local projects. Since that time Pierre Joseph has   joined multiple humanitarian responses, rolling out programs to help families get food and income in the face of crisis.  

Pierre Joseph currently lives in temporary accommodation in a town in Haiti with his wife and six-month-old baby, after being forced to leave two different homes as a result of the worsening violence.  

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“Every day is a matter of life or death under Haiti’s gang control.There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t hear the sound of gunfire or stories of friends and family members forced to flee their homes. The situation is particularly extreme in urban areas, which are overflowing with displaced families crowding for safety in schools, in churchyards, anywhere they find a little bit of security.   

But I am passionate about my country and believe in my community, which is a large reason why my family and I are still here. I’m the only one of my siblings who hasn’t fled Haiti. My commitment to staying is a choice, and conviction.  

My family was living in an ordinary neighborhood when the area came under the control of armed groups in June 2022. I witnessed an attempted kidnapping two vehicles ahead while driving to work. Luckily for that driver there was a police car nearby that was able to scare away the armed attackers. But it was a wakeup call for my family to find a safer city.  

After we moved, we felt safe for a short time. But in January, the new city also came under the power of the armed groups, and we were once again forced to leave. I’m now in temporary accommodation with my wife and baby boy until we can find a safer place to stay longer term.  

It’s impossible for this situation in Haiti not to impact your mental health. You are always stressed. Always on edge. Whenever you hear gunfire, which is often, you panic. You don’t have any mental peace day or night. 

My wife gave birth to our first baby six months ago. She had to have a cesarean section and was very fragile following the surgery, but she found it very difficult to get the help she needed for her recovery, and to support our baby in the first few months of his life.  

With so many hospitals and roads closed, my wife has missed important medical appointments. We are also terrified of running out of essential baby supplies. Sometimes we go to the supermarket and they say they are sold out.  

There is something about supermarkets not functioning and not being able to buy the basics, even if you have the money – that really causes you to panic.   

For the first time, we are facing a crisis where nothing works, where the government is simply not functioning. Most companies are closing their doors and just leaving the country.  

Our food supplies have collapsed, and because of this we have millions of people across the country without enough to eat. There are families on the verge of famine, but roadblocks and gang violence are preventing humanitarian organisations from reaching them. Everyone is also struggling to find fuel, and it’s now been six months since I have been living without electricity. We have been using alternate forms of power, like solar panels.  

Everyone is afraid and leaving the country. I’m know that it’s dangerous to stay, and I also have a responsibility to my family, and in particular my baby, to keep them safe. I want to make sure my boy grows up in a peaceful place.  

Haiti needs help now. Haiti needs support now. So many people are suffering. So many people are struggling even for one meal a day. I understand that Haiti cannot get out of this situation by itself. Schools, activities, markets – they need help to get back to normal.   

This is a call for help.” 

 

You can support children living in crises like Haiti by donating to our Children’s Emergency Fund.

Source: Save The Children

Destruction in Khan Younis, Gaza [Bisan/Save the Children]

 

RAMALLAH, 4 April 2024 –Nearly 26,000 children – or just over two percent of Gaza’s child population – have been killed or injured in Gaza in six months of a war which has decimated the health system and severed access to education, Save the Children said.

In the six months since the 7 October attacks in which 33 children were killed, more than 13,800 children have been killed in Gaza and 113 in the West Bank, and over 12,009 children have been injured in Gaza and at least 725 children in the West Bank, according to OCHA and the Ministry of Health in Gaza. UNICEF reported at least 1,000 children have had one or both legs amputated, and about 30 out of 36 hospitals have been bombed, leaving only 10 partially functioning.

Israeli forces have also hit ambulances, medical aid convoys and access roads, decimating Gaza’s health system and undermining access to healthcare at the time when the 1.1 million children in Gaza need it most.

A two-week siege and attack on Gaza’s biggest medical facility, Al-Shifa Hospital, has left most of the complex in ruins, severing one of precious few remaining lifelines for children in need of medical treatment. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, after the withdrawal of Israeli forces dozens of bodies have been found inside and outside the hospital. Hospitals should never be used as battlegrounds. 

Education in Gaza is also under attack. There are 625,000 registered students in Gaza but no child has had formal education since October as relentless bombardment and hostilities have left nearly 90% of all school buildings damaged or destroyed. About 261 teachers have been killed and 1.4 million people are now using schools as shelters.

The destruction of schools, a grave violation against children in conflict, will have a lasting impact on a generation whose learning will remain in jeopardy even after hostilities cease.

Save the Children has warned that the emotional distress caused by bombs, loss and starvation is leaving children increasingly unable to cope. Mental health and child protection experts are warning that, as protective factors including homes, schools, and family life are ripped away, children are likely to suffer lasting psychosocial impact.

Some parents have told Save the Children that their children now have curtailed their dreams, and some struggle to see a future for themselves, focused solely instead on survival.

Ahmed*, a 37-year-old father of one, was displaced from Gaza city to Rafah. He said:

“We fled towards the south on 25 March. On our way to Rafah, we saw small, decomposed bodies near the Beidar area. Our children are seeing things no child should ever see.

A 14-year-old child in our building was going out with his father to get food and he fell and injured his right hand. He needed stitches to stop the bleeding, but his father was too scared to go to Al Shifa hospital, due to the bombing and lack of medical staff. His father and I helped dress the child’s wound, but we couldn’t sterilize it properly.”

The war in Gaza stands among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history and has led to a litany of grave violations against children being recorded:

• Children in Gaza have been killed and maimed by Israeli forces at an unprecedented rate. More than 13,800 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza, and 33 Israeli children were killed by armed groups in the 7 October attacks. At least 725 children have been injured since 7 October in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and 114 have been killed.
• The destruction of schools and hospitals in Gaza has become the norm, with most children unable to get even the most basic treatment or pain management due to the obliterated health system.
• Israeli children were abducted and held hostage in Gaza reportedly subjected to violence with lasting impact on their mental health and wellbeing and at least 460 Palestinian children have been arbitrarily detained since 7 October, with some telling Save the Children’s partners of starvation, abuse and inhumane treatment in detention.

The life-saving supplies upon which families across Gaza rely have either been drip-fed or systematically denied by Israel, with recent data finding that half of the population is facing catastrophic food insecurity, and children and families in northern Gaza are at imminent risk of famine.

Xavier Joubert, Save the Children Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory, said:

“Over 180 days of violence have rendered Gaza unrecognizable and killed or injured over 2% of Gaza’s child population. Those who have survived so far have dwindling chances of continuing to do so. This war is not only destroying Gaza, but also the fundamental tenets of childhood. Relentless bombs and hostilities are causing potential ‘domicide’  of homes and infrastructure, with a reported 70% of homes damaged or destroyed. We’ve seen it in other conflicts, but this may be the highest share of homes destroyed in such a short time. The world must act now to ensure an immediate and definitive ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access to end the horrifying  destruction of life in Gaza. As with all children, we owe children in Gaza a dignified future –  but at this rate, they are at risk of having no future at all.”

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.    

-ENDS

Notes to Editors

‘Domicide’ is the widespread or systematic destruction of homes, often during conflict. A higher share of homes was destroyed in the last six months in Gaza than in any other recent conflict where large destruction was noted. 290,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Gaza, representing over 70% of all homes (Shelter Cluster). The number of homes damaged or destroyed in other conflicts is as follows: 2,000,000 (10%) in Ukraine, 2022-23 (Third Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment by the World Bank, UN, EU and Ukraine government); 648,527 (17%) in Syria, 2011-17 (UN Habitat); 70,108 (4%) in two-most affected states of Myanmar, 2021-23 (according to the unverified Data for Myanmar project but cited by UN OCHA); 321,273 (59%) in the 16 cities in Iraq most affected by the conflict with  ISIS, 2014-17 (World Bank).

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For further enquiries please contact:

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

Ruby Wright, Global Media Manager: ruby.wright@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.

Source: Save The Children

Lawrence, 7, in a field of failed crops. Photo by Sacha Myers/Save the Children. More content available here

Multimedia content available here

LUSAKA, 3 April, 2024 –Zambia’s crippling drought, the worst its seen in at least 20 years, is leading to widespread food shortages with some children forced to survive on a single daily meal of boiled waterlily roots, nuts and wild fruits, said Save the Children.

Seven out of 10 provinces in Zambia have been impacted by the intense drought, with the El Niño induced dry spell killing crops and drying up water sources. The government has declared the situation a national emergency, with more than 1 million children facing severe food shortages.

Rains have failed in Zambia for nine weeks consecutively at a time when farming families needed it most, with almost half of the nation’s planted area destroyed, according to the Zambian President. Farming families are particularly hit hard by the changes in weather patterns, as they depend on rain to support the production of maize, the country’s principal food crop and have lost one million hectares (2.5 million acres) from 2.2 million planted crops due to the influence of El Nino on the 2023-2024 rainy season,

A combination of factors including limited humanitarian funding, double digit inflation rate, and skyrocketing food and commodity prices are exacerbating the food crisis in Zambia, with mothers in rural areas telling Save the Children they are unable to feed their children and fear for their lives.

Nine-year-old Namushi lives in Zambia’s Western Province with her grandmother Mafelelezo, 55, her two sisters and cousins. Her mother is unwell, so Mafelelezo takes care of Namushi and her sisters. The current drought has left the extended family – who survive by farming a small area of land – in a desperate search for food each day.

Namushi told Save the Children that hunger is the most challenging part of her day and that she doesn’t have the desire to play when she’s hungry.

She said: “The crops have all dried up compared to last year. It’s due to poor rainfall. When I see this, I feel hungry. We eat once a day. We eat the mashwa (waterlily root). We eat it boiled. 

“When I’m hungry I don’t have the desire to play. I feel hungry at school. At times I feel like collapsing due to hunger. Last year things were a little better and there was food.” 

Seven-year-old Lawrence also lives in the Western Province with his mother, Inonge, 38, his 13-year-old sister and grandmother. They are a closely-nit family who rely on growing their own food to survive but the current drought has left the family with very little to eat.

Lawrence said: “There’s no rain. The maize has not grown well because of the hot sun. The food has been burnt by the sun. I feel bad. Sometimes we only eat once [a day]. Sometimes we go to sleep hungry. I feel bad when there’s no food to eat.”

Sitting across from Lawrence, his mother said:

“When my children miss meals and sleep on an empty stomach, you would think they are sick from the way they look. When we get food, and they eat a little food, then they start playing around and you realise it’s just the hunger that makes them sleep. When they’re hungry, they’re not energetic, they even look like they’re confused.”

“We’re asking the government to help us with food, so our children’s progress won’t be affected. If they give us food, we can prepare food for our children daily. When they’re well-fed, then they won’t fail to go to school, especially the little children. When they go to sleep on an empty stomach, they’ll fail to go to school.”

Save the Children said the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has brought the extreme drought, exacerbated by the climate crisis, is causing harrowing impacts for families and children in Zambia with delayed response.For a third year in a row, Zambia topped a list of the world’s underreported crisis in 2023 as other emergencies overshadowed the slow creeping yet catastrophic suffering and enormous needs in this large, peaceful country in Southern Africa.

Jo Musonda, Save the Children Country Director in Zambia, said:

“Many hard-hit families are being forced to take desperate measures to cope with the crisis, such as reducing their daily meal intake, selling off livestock and foraging for hours each day for wild fruits, roots and nuts. Children report feeling dizzy from hunger and find it hard to concentrate during class, sometimes forcing them to skip days of school each week.

“Access to clean water is huge problem as some streams, wells and flood plains have dried up and people often travel hours each day to collect water. Some families report digging shallow holes in the ground to find water when their traditional water source runs dry.

“We are calling for urgent national and international action and funding to provide families and children with basic services including food and water.”

Save the Children is calling for child-sensitive government interventions such as introducing and scaling emergency school feeding programmes. Evidence from our previous interventions shows that this will guarantee a nutritionally balanced meal to vulnerable children across all drought-affected communities and ultimately will help combat stunting and malnutrition and boost school attendance and educational performance.

The organisations is initially responding to the drought crisis in Zambia by collaborating with the government of Zambia to assess the extent of the drought. We are further supporting the Disaster Mitigation and Management Unit in the distribution of relief maize in some of the affected areas. We will also be providing meals to school going children in the worst affected areas.

Save the Children has been working in Zambia for 40 years, running health, nutrition, education, and protection programmes across the country.

ENDS

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For further enquiries please email:

Delfhin Mugo, Delfhin.Mugo@savethechildren.org;

Daphnee Cook, 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.

 

Source: Save The Children

Stephen Kang singing with children in Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space in Renk, South Sudan. Marie-Sophie Schwarzer / Save the Children

When the war broke out, I just didn’t know what to do. At first I thought the fighting might just be in Khartoum but it started to spread so quickly. We could see the bombs falling and could constantly hear the gun shots. My father, who was in South Sudan, told me to get out quickly. It was only going to get worse. I had no choice but to leave Omdurman and my job as a nursery school teacher behind.

People were having to pay 50,000 Sudanese pounds (US$85 or half the annual salary of a civil servant) for a car with a driver to take them to South Sudan but that is out of reach for most people. I didn’t have that sort of money but my father managed to send it to someone he knew so I could pay to join a car heading south.

We set out on April 24. All I had with me was my backpack with a few clothes. There was no room to take anything else. You had to pay more for suitcases. About 17 of us were packed into that car – inside, on the roof, we were everywhere.

I have had to move multiple times before. I am a South Sudanese citizen. I was born in Sudan in 2000 but relocated to South Sudan in 2006 to escape the violence. When South Sudan gained independence in 2011, we believed it would bring a fresh start, but our hope was short-lived. In 2013, my family and I had to move back to Sudan due to the resurgence of violence. Moving has become a never-ending story for me, as it has for countless others in Sudan and South Sudan.

It took us about two days by road to get to Rabak (in south-eastern Sudan). That is about 300 kms and should be a one-day journey but we had to zig-zag all the way to avoid roadblocks. We kept seeing and hearing the gunfire all the way. I was terrified we would not make it and I was so glad to get to Rabak and see my father waiting for me.

I am now with my family in Renk and I started working for Save the Children last August. I love working with children and I really understand what so many of them have been through. I can relate to them. So many of them have seen dreadful things before getting to the two transit centres set up here as temporary stops for people arriving from Sudan. Every day more people come and every day more people move out to continue their journeys to other places in South Sudan if they are returnees or to the Maban refugee camp if they are refugees.

My job is to run singing, dancing, and other fun activities for children at the child friendly spaces Save the Children run in the transit centres. Some of the children arrive here in total shock. They are totally stressed. They don’t want to talk and don’t want to mix with other children. They have seen things along the way that they just can’t understand and you just can’t imagine. Some of the children draw pictures of guns and shooting and of helicopters.

It takes a while but I try to get them involved and to join the games. I am so relieved when a child starts to talk again, to laugh again. I am good at playing the clown and they like that. They will run after me in the transit centre and want to play more games with me and mess about. They are children. They want to have fun.

I really enjoy working for Save the Children and I am hoping to go to university.

Help support children living in crisis. Donate today.

Source: Save The Children

RAMALLAH, 3 April 2024 – A week since the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, and days since the International Court of Justice issued additional provisional measures in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, States must act urgently to ensure its enforcement and prevent atrocity crimes in Rafah as attacks intensify, warn 13 humanitarian and human rights organizations.

Last week, the Government of Israel made clear its intention to expand military operations in Rafah irrespective of the UN Security Council’s legally binding resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. In the last week, we have seen this scenario beginning to unfold before our eyes, with Israeli bombardment killing at least 31 people including 14 children in Rafah on 26 and 27 March alone. Humanitarian and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the planned Israeli ground incursion into Rafah promises to decimate life and life-saving assistance for the more than 1.3 million civilians, including at least 610,000 children, who are now in the direct line of fire.

There is no feasible evacuation plan or conditions that would protect civilians if a ground incursion moves forward. To abide by the absolute prohibition of forcible transfer and deportation of civilians under international humanitarian law, Israel is obliged to take “all possible measures” to provide evacuated civilians with essential necessities for survival and guarantees of a safe and dignified return once hostilities end. Such measures include ensuring adequate safety and protection, shelter, water, sanitation, healthcare, and nutrition. As of today, no such place inside or outside of Gaza exists. Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip and six months of hostilities has damaged or destroyed more than 60 percent of housing units and annihilated most of the infrastructure in northern and central Gaza.

There is nowhere safe for people to go in Gaza. Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked areas they previously prescribed as “safe.” Israeli airstrikes in and around the so-called safe zone of Al-Mawasi have killed at least 28 people, with Israeli ground forces previously entering and occupying its northern portion. Across Gaza, even when humanitarian organizations provide locations of aid operations and staff members to Israeli forces, these areas have continued to come under attack. Aid workers have been killed, aid convoys have come under Israeli fire, and shelters and hospitals supported by the humanitarian community are being damaged or destroyed under Israeli bombardment. New Israeli government proposals to force civilians into so-called “humanitarian islands” would likely provide another false pretence of safety and instead squeeze civilians into small, contained and under-resourced areas where they risk coming under attack, whether they are in or outside these “islands.”

There is nowhere in Gaza with access to sufficient assistance and services to ensure the population’s survival. In Rafah itself, essential services and infrastructure are only partially functioning, including overwhelmed hospitals, bakeries, and water and sanitation facilities. The centre and north of Gaza are decimated, with entire systems, infrastructure and neighbourhoods wiped off the map and continued restrictions on access for humanitarian agencies and assistance. Further escalation of Israeli military operations in Rafah would also pose catastrophic consequences for an already hamstrung humanitarian response across Gaza, with most aid coordination and infrastructure set up since October 2023 based in Rafah.

All states have the obligation to protect populations from atrocity crimes. Children and families in Rafah have been living in a constant state of fear and danger. The Government of Israel has announced its intention to expand military operations there and this risk has escalated further since March 31, when Israel’s war cabinet approved plans for land operations in the southernmost governorate. While some states have publicly expressed disapproval, international diplomatic pressure and statements have so far been insufficient to yield results and avert the planned incursion. Yet there is a suite of protective measures available to states, which are obliged to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, as demonstrated previously in other civilian protection crises.

States must now take urgent action to ensure the immediate implementation of a permanent ceasefire and explore all available options to protect civilians, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes immediately halting the transfer of weapons, parts, and ammunition where there is a risk they are used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law. Anything less is not simply a failure. Anything less fails to fulfil moral, humanitarian, and legal imperatives.

Signed Off

1. Save the Children

2. International Federation for Human Rights

3. Amnesty International

4. Doctors of the World/Médecins du Monde France, Spain and Switzerland.

5. ActionAid International

6. Oxfam International

7. Norwegian Refugee Council

8. Plan International

9. Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion

10. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

11. International Rescue Committee (IRC)

12. Danish Refugee Council

13. DanChurch Aid

ENDS

Source: Save The Children

MANILA, 3 April – Extreme heat in the Philippines has forced hundreds[1] of schools to shut as the Southeast Asian nation’s government warns temperatures could soar further this week in more than half of the country’s regions. The dangerous heatwave is putting children’s health and wellbeing at risk, with an urgent need for global leaders to act to combat the climate crisis to protect education, said Save the Children.  

In the capital Manila, an announcement by the Division of City Schools[2] said that schools would be allowed to suspend in-person classes or shift to online lessons due to the “high heat index currently experienced in the country.” It added that teachers and students were allowed to wear more comfortable, non-uniform clothing to combat the heat.

Temperatures in at least ten of the country’s 17 regions are expected to hit or exceed 42 °C by 4 April [3], about 20 % higher than normal for April[4], or what the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) defines in its heatwave index as a ‘dangerous level’ [5]

March, April and May are typically the hottest months in the Philippines but this year weather conditions have been exacerbated by the ongoing El Nino weather phenomenon which is expected to last until May.[6]  El Nino has warmed parts of the Pacific Ocean and has triggered extreme weather events such as heatwaves.

Atty. Alberto Muyot, CEO of Save the Children Philippines, said:

“Educators and local authorities have been forced to take the extreme decision to shut hundreds of schools because this extreme heat means children are simply unable to concentrate in the classroom and their health is also at risk. We need to see urgent action now to limit warming to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Failing to do this will have dramatic consequences for children’s health, safety, and wellbeing.”

Climate change is raising global temperatures and causing historic heat waves around the world with more countries facing hotter days more frequently. One third of the word’s children -774 million – live with the double threat of climate change and poverty.[7]

2023 was the world’s warmest year since records began in 1850 and saw global temperatures rise 1.18°C (2.12°F) above the 20th-century average of 13.9°C (57.0°F).[8]

Limiting warming to 1.5 °C would reduce the number of people frequently exposed to extreme heatwaves by about 420 million, with about 65 million fewer people exposed to exceptional heatwaves.[9]

Extreme heat poses unique risks at different stages of childhood. For example, children under age 5 are the most at risk of increased heat-related mortality and morbidity, while extreme heat can have serious effects on the mental well-being of all children.[10]

Save the Children has been working in the Philippines since 1981 with programs in humanitarian response, health and nutrition, education, and children’s rights and protection.

ENDS

[1] https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240402-dozens-of-philippine-schools-suspend-classes-over-heat-danger

[2] https://manila.gov.ph/breaking-division-of-city-schools-manila-announced-mitigation-measures-in-public-schools-in-the-city/

[3] https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/climate-heat-index

[4] https://weather-and-climate.com/averages-Philippines-April

[5] https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/climate-heat-index

[6] https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/el-nino-la-nina/monitoring

[7] REPORT – Generation Hope: 2.4 billion reasons to end the global climate and inequality crisis (2022) https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/p8jywI6/

[8] https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/2023-was-warmest-year-modern-temperature-record

[9] https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2865/a-degree-of-concern-why-global-temperatures-matter/

[10] https://www.unicef.org/stories/heat-waves-impact-children#children

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Amy Lefevre, Global Media Manager, Asia: Amy.Lefevre@savethechildren.org

 

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Source: Save The Children

KABUL, 2 April 2024 – An old land mine has killed nine children in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, according to local authorities.

The children – five boys and four girls, all aged between 5 and 10 – found the decades old mine close to their village in Ghazni province and were playing with it when the tragedy took place.

Arshad Malik, Country Director for Save the Children in Afghanistan said:  

“Afghanistan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world with two thirds of its districts affected by unexploded ordnance. This heartbreaking news is a stark reminder of the persistent dangers posed by remnants of war. 

Due to their natural curiosity, and the pressure many are under to collect scrap metal and contribute to their families’ household incomes, children are the most affected by explosive remnants of war. Around 60 people – mostly children – are killed or maimed every month. The international community and the de facto authorities must prioritise removing explosive remnants of war and other hazards.” 

Save the Children and its partners have programmes in 18 provinces in Afghanistan. As part of its child protection programming, the organisation raises awareness of the risks posed by unexposed ordnance and equips children with the skills and knowledge to protect themselves and others from harm. 

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For further enquiries please contact:

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