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UN ceasefire resolution must be enacted immediately to protect children from further violence and starvation – Save the Children

Source: Save The Children

NEW YORK, 10 June 2024 – The UN Security Council’s decision today on a peace plan has the potential to be a welcome and long overdue lifeline for children in Gaza, said Save the Children. This resolution calls for a full and immediate ceasefire, safe and effective distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale throughout the Gaza Strip, and the release of hostages.  

 

It is the obligation of all Member States to now turn these words into action, said the aid agency . 

 

Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children Regional Advocacy Director for the Middle East, said:  

 

“The resolution voted on today at the UN Security Council is a step in the right direction – the bare minimum children in Gaza expect from an institution that has fundamentally let them down.  

 

“If today’s proposal is not immediately accepted, the international community – the UN Security Council, General Assembly, and all its Member States – should take swift and robust and urgent action to ensure that a definitive ceasefire is implemented, and humanitarian access finally granted.  

 

“It will still be too late for the tens of thousands of children who have been killed, maimed, abducted, displaced and starved, but it will save hundreds of thousands more.” 

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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Sudan Staff Account: “The girl’s horrendous experience reminded me of my own experience when an explosive device fell into our compound”

Source: Save The Children

A Save the Children clinic in Al Gezira State, Sudan, providing vital healthcare for children and their families.Mosaab Hassouna / Save the Childre

Dr Ali*, 42, has been working with Save the Children in North Darfur as a health worker for six years. He has been living with his family in El Fasher since the war broke out in Sudan’s capital Khartoum in April 2023. On 25 May 2023, he was forced to evacuate his family to safety after an explosive device fell into their house, injuring five of his family members. He speaks about how the conflict is impacting people in North Darfur.

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“I’ve been working and volunteering as a doctor in El Fasher in Sudan for the last six months, working nights, during weekends and holidays.

As a father, seeing mothers clutching onto their injured children, breaks my heart. Last month, I treated a six-year-old girl after an explosive device fell into her house and the shells landed on her small tummy. She was in so much pain and her parents were in deep agony. My colleague doctors and I managed to perform an emergency operation to remove the shells and after one week in the ward, she had recovered enough to be discharged.

The girl’s horrendous experience reminded me of my own experience when an explosive device fell into our compound, putting the lives of my close relatives and children at risk. Sadly, across El Fasher such incidents are happening daily, flooding hospitals with injured patients many of them children.

I thought the conflict would not last long. I hoped things would return to normal and that my family and I would be safe. Then one evening, barely a month into the conflict, an explosive device fell into our house during one of the battles and injured five of my family members, including my father, mother, sisters, and a cousin. I was horrified, sad and angry.

Luckily, I managed to find treatment for my injured family members and begun working on a plan to get them out of the country. They are now in a safe location outside the country. The whole experience was extremely traumatizing for me and my family and I am glad I received support from Save the Children’s psychologist, which has helped me overcome the trauma and I now in a state where I can continue with my work and help other people including children fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

My work as a health worker at Save the Children involves implementing and managing health programmes aimed at providing primary healthcare services to the most vulnerable families and children. We run a mobile health clinic for internally displaced people within El Fasher and support seven health facilities with free medicine, health and nutrition services.

However, extreme fighting in the city for the last two months has seen hospitals and health facilities shut down one after the other, due to lack of medical supplies, departure of health care workers, artillery shelling and extensive looting of ambulances and medical supplies including from maternity and pediatric hospitals.

As the fighting escalates, movement in the city has become difficult and dangerous, with roads cut off. Additionally, government entities and banks have been shut down and evening curfews have been introduced, leaving El Fasher isolated.  People are trying to flee to safe areas as they fear being arrested, harassed, and robbed.

Tawila, one of the areas where Save the Children has been providing humanitarian aid, has been particularly affected by the fighting, with several schools and health facilities looted and houses burnt to the ground. This has forced many families out of their homes and into camps for displaced people.

El Fasher is a vital hub for humanitarian operations throughout Darfur, central to supply routes, and further escalation in violence will have catastrophic consequences for families in dire need of food, water and health services. We need peace in El Fasher, and Sudan.”

*name has been changed to protect anonymity 

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New EU Parliament must put the needs of children at the centre of its political agenda – Save the Children

Source: Save The Children

BRUSSELS, 10 June 2024 – The results of the European Union (EU) elections this weekend will make or break the future of children’s rights in the EU, said Save the Children calling on newly elected decision-makers to keep the unique needs of children at the centre of their policy agendas.  

The election results show that the shift in power and fragmentation in the European Parliament may affect the EU political system, particularly in areas like immigration, climate action, and the rights of vulnerable groups. Such polarisation may also negatively impact the European Commission’s agenda and ultimately undermine the prioritisation of children, their needs and rights in EU policies and funding. 

Willy Bergogné, Save the Children Europe’s Director and EU representative, said:  

“Children’s rights are at risk due to multiple and compounding crises. Children are among the most impacted by economic downturns, conflicts, the rolling back of social policies, and delays in climate action.   

“Working in more than 100 countries, we see firsthand the transformative impact of EU policies and initiatives on the lives of children, both within Europe and across the globe. The incoming EU leaders must keep in mind their unique role and responsibility to protect all children. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the future European Commission must mainstream children’s rights in their agenda, invest time and resources to ensure meaningful, inclusive, and safe participation of children, and engage with civil society organisations working for and with them. 

“As a principled aid donor, defender of rights and champion of sustainable development and climate action, the EU must continue this legacy now and uphold progress on children’s rights at home and abroad.”

To address this new political scenario, Save the Children has launched its own guide for EU policy-makers, showcasing why it is fundamental to prioritise children’s rights, what are the key issues to focus on, and what are the political milestones that should be achieved throughout the next legislature.   

Save the Children will engage with all the European institutions to influence their agenda and ensure children’s rights are at its centre. The goal is to continue the progress made for children over the last five years, such as the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the European Child Guarantee and the EU Child Participation Platform, be prepared to face the challenges ahead and ensure a fairer and greener world for every child. 

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PHILIPPINES: Mount Kanlaon eruption forces 385,000 children out of school

Source: Save The Children

MANILA, 5 June 2024 – A volcanic eruption in the Philippines has forced at least 684 schools to close, affecting about 385,000[1] students, with nine schools converted into evacuation centers, Save the Children said.
Following the eruption on Monday, Mount Kanlaon volcano on Negros Island in central Philippines is on Alert Level 2, the highest level since the eruption, which indicates an increase in volcanic activity.[2] 
Images on social media showed an ash cloud shooting into sky and homes covered in volcanic ash, with at least 43 earthquakes recorded since Monday’s explosion which lasted 6 minutes.[3]
The Philippines is no stranger to volcanic activity and sits in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.
Faisah Ali, Humanitarian Manager of Save the Children Philippines, said:
“This eruption has halted education in at least 684 schools and hundreds of thousands of children have been affected by the Mount Kanlaon eruption. Experts have warned that volcanic activity may continue. We urge everyone to follow safety guidance issued by the authorities and Save the Children Philippines stands ready to assist those affected.”
Save the Children Philippines has notified its Emergency Response Team (ERT) and local partners who are on standby to deployed to the affected area. Masks and other items are also ready to be dispatched from nearby warehouses.
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.
For further enquiries please contact:
Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.
[1] Department of Education Philippines. According to the DepEd Philippines, there are 385,339 students and 684 schools affected by the eruption with nine schools being used as evacuation centers.
[2] DOST-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) 

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Gaza’s missing children: Over 20,000 children estimated to be lost, disappeared, detained, buried under the rubble or in mass graves

Source: Save The Children

A 19-months old child sleeps in a tent in an informal camp in Rafah. [Sacha Myers/ Save the Children]

GAZA, 04 June 2024 – At least 20,0001 children are estimated to be missing in the chaos of the war in Gaza, many trapped beneath rubble, detained, buried in unmarked graves, or lost from their families, said Save the Children. The agency’s child protection teams are reporting that the latest displacements caused by the offensive in Rafah have separated more children and further increased the strain on families and communities caring for them. 

It is nearly impossible to collect and verify information under the current conditions in Gaza, but at least 17,000 children are believed to be unaccompanied and separated and approximately 4,000 children are likely missing under the rubble, with an unknown number also in mass graves. Others have been forcibly disappeared, including an unknown number detained and forcibly transferred out of Gaza, their whereabouts unknown to their families amidst reports of ill-treatment and torture. 

Meanwhile, the aid agency’s child protection teams warn of the urgent action needed to protect separated and unaccompanied children – action that is severely undermined by the deteriorating security situation. 

A Save the Children Child Protection Specialist in Gaza said:  

“Every day we find more unaccompanied children and every day it is harder to support them. We work through partners to identify separated and unaccompanied children and trace their families, but there are no safe facilities for them – there is no safe place in Gaza. Besides, reuniting them with family members is difficult when ongoing hostilities restrict our access to communities, and constantly force families to move.  

“Neighbours and extended family members who have taken in lone children are struggling to meet their basic needs, such as shelter, food, and water. Many are with strangers – or completely alone – increasing the risk of violence, abuse exploitation and neglect.”

Mass casualties were reported following the latest attacks by Israeli forces in Rafah. After one attack, UN experts said that reports emerged of ‘people trapped inside burning plastic tents’ and ‘burnt alive’, and the Gaza Ministry of Health reported ‘bodies burned beyond recognition’. Save the Children warned that confirming identification of a body by the next of kin is almost impossible when whole families have been wiped out and entry restrictions mean the equipment and experts needed cannot get in. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 14,000 children have been killed since 7 October, roughly half of whom have not yet been fully identified, partially due to their bodies being harmed beyond recognition2. Children are also among those recently found in mass graves, according to UN experts, with many showing signs of torture and summary executions, as well as potential instances of people buried alive3. 

At least 33 Israeli children have been killed since October, while it is unclear if any children are among those still being held hostage in Gaza. As of 14 May, around 250 Palestinian children from the West Bank are missing in the Israeli military detention system, their families unable to physically confirm their whereabouts and wellbeing due to additional restrictions on visits introduced since October. 

The UN has received numerous reports of mass detentions, ill-treatment and enforced disappearance of possibly thousands of people, including children4. 

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

“Families are tortured by the uncertainty of the whereabouts of their loved ones. No parent should have to dig through rubble or mass graves to try and find their child’s body. No child should be alone, unprotected in a war zone. No child should be detained or held hostage.

Children who are missing but living are vulnerable, face grave protection risks and must be found. They must be protected and reunited with their families. For the children who have been killed, their deaths must be formally marked, their families informed, burial rites respected, and accountability sought. As many have pointed out, Gaza has become a graveyard for children, with thousands of others missing, their fates unknown. There must be an independent investigation and those responsible must be held accountable. We desperately need a ceasefire to find and support the missing children who have survived, and to prevent more families from being destroyed.” 

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953. Save the Children teams in Gaza work with local partners to identify and support unaccompanied children. This includes providing individual child protection case management, cash for caregivers looking after separated children, psychosocial support, and community monitoring and engagement. Save the Children also provides access to services such as child friendly spaces and nutrition and health support.  

Notes 

[1] On average, children are reported to constitute 43% of total casualties in the war. 10,000 people are reported missing under the rubble, so 40% of them are likely children. This would amount to approximately 4,000 children estimated buried under the rubble, which added to 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children equals 21,000 children missing.

[2] The Ministry of Health documents the full identification details of casualties and has recently published the breakdown of 24,790 out of 36,100 fatalities for whom full details have been collected by MoH as of 20 May 2024; according to MoH, these reportedly include 7,823 children, 4,980 women, 1,926 elderly. The Ministry categorizes an individual as dead only when their details are documented and verified by a next of kin and says that the documentation process is ongoing.  

The process for identifying bodies and finding those missing, much like death toll counting, is severely hampered by ongoing hostilities, Israeli restrictions on the entry of essential equipment, fuel scarcity, communications blackouts, and the decimation of the health system. 

[2] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-165 

[3]https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/05/onslaught-violence-against-women-and-children-gaza-unacceptable-un-experts#:~:text=Over%20390%20bodies%20have%20been,alive%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20experts%20said 

[4]https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/summary_on_detention_and_alleged_ill-treatmentupdated.pdf 

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 

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements, and location Vlogs. 

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‘There is a wall between us’: As new school year begins in Thailand, funding shortages hinder education for refugee children on Myanmar border

Source: Save The Children

Esther*(27) at a house where teacher training takes place. Photo: Amy Sawitta Lefevre/ Save the Children.
MAE SOT, Thailand,  4 June 2024 – As Thai children head back to school following a long summer break, a lack of funding has hindered many displaced children from Myanmar living along the Thai-Myanmar border from accessing a similar education, Save the Children said.
Thailand has a long history of hosting refugees and migrants from neighbouring countries fleeing conflict and poverty and adopted an ‘Education for All Policy’ which mandates 15 years of free education for all children whether they are Thai, undocumented migrants, or stateless.[1]
But children without identification documents have historically faced challenges in gaining admission to Thai schools. Schools inside temporary shelters along the borders do not have Thai language classes and the lack of local language skills can block children from accessing the Thai school system, higher education and work opportunities.
Schools inside the nine temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border, officially home to about 90,000 [2] people, say cuts in funding since the pandemic as donors focus on other global crises, has left them unable to pay teachers, buy new textbooks or even repair school structures.
Guillaume Rachou, Executive Director, Save the Children (Thailand) Foundation said:
“Every child has a right to education, irrespective of their background or legal status. Even though Thailand’s Ministry of Education says it provides education for all, many displaced and migrant children still do not enjoy those policies. Children need to go to school and they should not face challenges because they don’t have documents.”
Although there are refugees and migrants from several countries in Thailand, the vast majority are from neighboring Myanmar.
While Thailand has maintained an asylum policy and provided a haven for many refugees, it hasn’t ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention, meaning those fleeing from neighbouring countries have no legal status and are vulnerable to arrest or deportation.
Jornay*, 25, whose family comes from Myanmar, was born in Mae La camp. He doesn’t hold any form of identification that is recognized by the Thai state.
“I was educated in the camps, but our education was not recognised so after we graduate, we don’t have jobs.”
Esther*, 27, a displaced geography teacher trainer, was overcome with emotion when she spoke about how some classrooms inside the temporary shelters, most of which are rudimentary buildings with thatched roofs, have less than a handful of text books and some are so old that the print has become blurry.
David, 22*, grew up in Mae La camp, the largest temporary shelter along the Thai border:
“Parents in the camps used to push their children to further their education but the barriers are big. There is a wall between us and the (Thai) citizens,” he said.
Save the Children visited one learning centre in the city of Mae Sot in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar where the headmaster,  Ben*, 46, said he doubles as the school’s driver because of staff and funding shortages.
Save the Children Thailand is calling for more funding for education programmes along the Thai-Myanmar border, as well as improved access to education for migrant and displaced children, including those without documentation, and more support for teachers and their training. These steps are crucial for providing a stable and hopeful future for displaced children.
Save the Children Thailand is also calling on the Thai government to facilitate access for migrant and displaced children to Thai schools along the Thailand-Myanmar border and to provide support for their integration into the education system.
Save the Children supports the basic education of more than 20,000 children aged 5-18 spread across 46 schools in temporary shelters along the Thai-Myanmar border through support from the European Union (EU) and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), as well as teacher training support from local partners.
Save the Children has worked in Thailand since 1979 to support children most impacted by discrimination and inequality running  programmes on education, child protection, livelihood, and child rights governance.
**********************************************************************************
For further enquiries please contact:  
Amy Lefevre in Bangkok: Amy.Lefevre@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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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. 
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[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.