Category: New Zealand NGOs

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 

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   

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.

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

Source: Save The Children

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 

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

Source: Save The Children

BRUSSELS, 28 May 2024 – A further decrease in funding from the international community for Syria and the region following the eighth annual Brussels Conference will exacerbate rising child poverty and malnutrition, said Save the Children’s Syria Response Director, Rasha Muhrez.

 “Yesterday’s announcement of 3.9 billion Euros in pledged assistance for 2024 – a 15% drop from last year’s commitment – and 1.2 billion for 2025 is another worrying decline in support from the international community to Syria and refugee hosting countries in the region. 

Once again, we have seen words affirming the international community’s support for Syria, but too little in terms of funding to turn this commitment into reality for vulnerable Syrian children, absent any other funding mechanisms that would support the resilience of children and their families.

Of the 16.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria today – two-thirds of the population – about 45% of them are children. Child poverty is now endemic in Syria. We cannot tackle this without a significant scale up in humanitarian assistance, including efforts to prevent worsening malnutrition, supporting quality education services and investing in critical basic services. We cannot do more with less.   

In neighbouring countries vulnerabilities continue to mount, with an urgent need to address barriers to children’s survival, learning and ability to achieve their full potential.  In Iraq, challenges such as language barriers and limited resources continue to hinder children’s access to quality education. In countries like Lebanon, which is experiencing one of its worst financial and economic crises since the mid-19th century, the multi-layered crisis has further exacerbated the humanitarian needs of vulnerable populations, including Lebanese, migrants and refugees. 

To avoid condemning children to a future of hardship, insecurity and fear, more early recovery efforts are needed, in line with commitments from donors at the conference. This is the only way we can help Syrian families rebuild their lives and provide the future that Syrian children across the country deserve.” 

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. 

Source: Save The Children

Source: Save The Children

Source: Save The Children