Category: New Zealand NGOs

Source: Save The Children

OUAGADOUGOU, 7 March 2024 – Over 2,000 children in Burkina Faso are suspected to have contracted measles in the past four months as a deadly outbreak spreads across the country, Save the Children said, calling for greater support for affected communities.  

Since the outbreak started last November, the country has recorded more than 2,000 suspected measles cases – nearly the same amount as for all of 2023 – including seven deaths. Children aged between one and 15 account for 96% of cases, according to the country’s public health institute. 

The outbreak shows no signs of abating, with about 1,700 cases recorded in February alone, and cases continuing to rise every week. The capital Centre region has been the most affected, with about 37% of reported cases.  

Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, which, if untreated, can cause blindness, pneumonia, and death. In typical cases, symptoms include a high fever, cough, and a rash. In pregnant women, contracting measles raises the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. 

While measles is preventable with two doses of a vaccine, Save the Children data shows that unvaccinated individuals accounted for nearly 90% of the confirmed measles cases.  

Globally, measles cases surged 79% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to WHO, mainly due missed vaccinations and overwhelmed health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Burkina Faso is prone to measles outbreaks, with the country reporting 2,190 measles cases in 2023, 252 cases in 2022, 3,866 cases in 2021, and 2,480 cases in 2020. 

Save the Children is calling for the continued mobilisation of healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, to provide crucial support in districts affected by the outbreak, as well as awareness in other regions on the prevention of the epidemic.  

Benoit Delsarte, Save the Children Country Director in Burkina Faso, said:  

“It is urgent to stop this disease for the well-being of children, their parents and communities. Save the Children commends the prevention and care measures taken by the government and its partners, while calling for greater mobilisation to provide crucial support to the districts affected by the epidemic and to strengthen the vaccination programme already underway”. 

Save the Children has been working in Burkina Faso since 1982, with programs in child health, education, and protection. These programmes focus on improving maternal and child health, addressing malnutrition and food insecurity, promoting school enrolment particularly for girls, ending child marriage, and keeping children safe, as well as raising awareness of children’s rights. 

ENDS 

For further enquiries please contact:

Anna Rauhanen anna.rauhanen@savethechildren.org

Kunle Olawoyin Kunle.Olawoyin@savethechildren.org

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

Source: Save The Children

Ria* and her cricket team in Madhesh Province, Nepal. Credit: Suzanne Lee / Save the Children

KATHMANDU: 7 March 2024 – Teams of girl cricketers who joined forces on and off the pitch to campaign against child marriage are taking part in their first provincial ‘all-girls’ tournament after their successful campaign to end child marriage in two municipalities.

The tournament covers Madhesh and Koshi Provinces and is taking place from 5 to 8 March with the final coinciding with International Women’s Day. 

Ria*, 16, from Khadak Municipality, is the chairperson of her cricket club and a player in the regional tournament. Ria* is also a passionate advocate for ending child marriage. She said:

“When we’re playing cricket, we hit [the] ball away with our bat. Similarly…we can hit away the child marriage.”

Save the Children and local partner Sabal Nepal have supported girls’ cricket clubs to campaign against child marriage.

Local authorities declared Surunga municipality the first ‘child marriage-free’ municipality in Madhesh Province in November 2022, with the number girls and boys who are married under the age of 18, decreasing from a baseline of around 36% to 4% of the child population. They were followed by Khadak municipality in December 2023 where the rate of child marriage fell from around 20% to 7%. Success was measured using indicators such as a notable decline in cases of child marriage, improved reporting and a commitment to ending the practice from local authorities, parents and children.

Save the Children and Sabal Nepal have been working with local governments, the police, schools, teachers, community health workers, and community leaders to raise awareness, as well as advocating for stronger frameworks to end child marriage in Surunga and Khadak municipalities. Seven other districts in Madhesh Province are preparing to declare themselves child marriage-free by 2030.

Child marriage is a serious human rights violation that disproportionately affects adolescent girls, although boys can also be impacted.

Ria*’s older sister was married as a child. She said:

“Girls get married in our community at a very early age. Despite knowing it’s wrong, girls my age are forced to get married.”

South Asia has the world’s highest number of child brides, with around one in four young women first married or in union before their 18th birthday, according to UNICEF. There are around 5.3 million child brides in Nepal, despite it being illegal to marry under the age of 20.

The girls cricket team was established in 2018 by Save the Children and Sabal Nepal. There are now six girls’ cricket teams, across two provinces. One player from each of the six cricket teams is taking part in the regional tournament. 

Members of the cricket team use street performances, rallies and public debates to raise awareness of the devastating impact child marriage has on girl’s education, health and wellbeing, in addition to putting them at high risk of sexual abuse and violence. The teams also provide information on how to report cases to the authorities. Ria* said:

“We staged dramas on child marriage, conducted door-to-door campaigns, played cricket, and now our ward has been declared as child marriage free!”

Members of the cricket clubs also overcome gender stereotypes in their families and communities, as cricket is traditionally viewed as a male sport. Ria* said:

“Girls and cricket! People used to be amused at first. Boys used to tell us, go do the household chores, cricket is for boys. But once we started our own girls cricket team, and started bringing home trophies and prizes, their negative perception changed entirely.”

Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children Nepal, said:

“Child marriage robs children of their childhoods. It is deeply rooted in patriarchal beliefs, and harms children and their futures.  It’s critical that we put an end to this practice which is so damaging to children and the best way to do this is through empowering children and communities to demand change.”

The cricket teams are provided with equipment, such as cricket bats, balls, pads, stumps and gloves, in addition to access to a sports ground.

Notes

*Name changed to protect anonymity

For media enquiries please contact

Ruby Wright, Global Media Manager (UK based) ruby.wright@savethechildren.org>

Rachel Thompson, Regional Media Manager Asia (Bangkok based) Rachel.Thompson@savethechildren.org

For out of hours media (GMT) contact media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Save the Children Nepal

Save the Children has been working in Nepal since 1976, through its programmes on child protection, child rights governance, child education, climate change, gender equality, health and nutrition, livelihood and social protection, and humanitarian responses.

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future, in Nepal and around the world. The organisation works for children so that their rights to a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and receive protection from harm are met. Together with children, families, and communities, as well as supporters the world over, the organisation achieves lasting results for millions of children.  With over 100 years of expertise and present in Nepal since 1976, the organisation is the world’s first and leading independent children’s organisation.

Sabal Nepal

SABAL Nepal is a leading humanitarian and development organisation working in the field of disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation, governance, community development, livelihoods, clean energy and climate change in Madhesh province, with its headquarter in Rajbiraj, Saptari, a branch office at Mirchaiya, Siraha, and field office in Khadak Municipality, Kalyanpur, Saptari. SABAL has over a decade of experience delivering emergency response, crisis management, sanitation and governance. The organisation focuses on the needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly, youth, adolescent, girls, women and people with special needs. Water and sanitation is at the heart of SABAL Nepal efforts because experience shows that its gain can translate into benefits for the households, society, local government and SDG 2030. Essentially, SABAL Nepal’s humanitarian and development work is our commitment to help rebuild safer, stronger, effective, environment friendly places that people call home. Our programmes to improve health and education, promote social justice, water, sanitation and hygiene, open up economic opportunities make communities more resilient and less vulnerable to the factors that causes poverty.

Multimedia content: https://www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2SO4VWH9

Source: Save The Children

The Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum, made up of 66 international non-governmental organizations, expresses profound concern over the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, particularly in the South, that has now entered its sixth month.¹

So far, a shocking 91,288 civilians have been displaced – 37 % of whom are children and 33 % of whom are women – and 42 civilian lives, including 7 children, have been tragically lost. ^{2 3} 50 schools have also already closed, depriving 60,000 children’s access to education in the region. Further, 9 primary healthcare centers have closed due to the security situation. ^{4 5}

The financial impact of the ongoing hostilities on Southern Lebanon has amounted to 1.2 billion USD in direct losses including affected agricultural lands, with an additional 300 million USD in indirect losses, including businesses affected. ⁶ Independent researchers have also noted that 520 residences have been damaged, while 3,300 others have incurred partial damages.

Worryingly, the unlawful use of white phosphorus munitions is a threat to civilian lives and agricultural lands, particularly in a region heavily reliant on agriculture for livelihood, with 47,000 olive trees and other crops already destroyed. ^{7 8}

These figures are extremely distressing in a country reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades, where the ongoing escalation of violence will continue to have a dramatic impact on civilian populations in the country, many of whom are already dependent on humanitarian assistance for basic needs.

Wafaa, a 48-year-old single mother of three recently widowed, hails from Kfar Kela, an area in Southern Lebanon heavily bombarded during conflict. She shares the immense challenges she faces following the destruction of her home and loss of her husband due to hostilities: ⁹

“I got a phone call saying that our home is fully damaged. Imagine! What shall I do? Where will I go? We lost everything … When we fled our home, we did not carry any clothes with us. Today, my children and I only have the clothes on us, and when we need to wash them, we lock ourselves in a room until that outfit is dry”.

Roula, a 21 year old also displaced from Kfar Kela, stated: ¹⁰

“I am sad. I stay in my room most of the time. I want my life back. I want to work again. I need the money, but I also need to feel that I have a purpose.”

While people in Southern Lebanon need assistance more than ever, the escalation of violence has restrained the delivery of humanitarian assistance and restricted the work of humanitarian organizations trying to support all affected communities, particularly communities in hard-to-reach border towns. Despite these challenges, humanitarian organizations remain committed to delivering assistance. We urge all stakeholders to guarantee unimpeded access for humanitarian actors, allowing us to continue our work safely to provide aid to those in need. We remind all parties to the conflict that civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure are not a target. We strongly appeal to the international community and relevant authorities to prioritize the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, bringing an end to the suffering and hardships of civilians who are only striving to live safe and dignified lives. We call upon stakeholders to uphold international law and work towards a permanent ceasefire in the region.

Notes to Editors

1 The Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum (LHIF) is an informal and independent coordinating body comprised of 6 international NGOs (INGOs) who are working to address the needs of vulnerable individuals, families and communities throughout Lebanon.

2 UNOCHA, January snapshot

3 IOM Mobility Snapshot Round 26, 29 February 2024

4 Lebanon at a Glance – UNOCHA – February 21, 2024

5 Lebanon situation update # 12 – Relief Web. February 2024

6 Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper, February 2024

7 Save the Children Press Release, February 2024

8 The Ministry of Agriculture estimated in November 2023 that 460 hectares of forests and orchards had been affected by white phosphorus, with figures currently expected to be higher

9 Wafaa’s real name has been changed to protect her identity

10 Roula’s real name has been changed to protect her identity

Source: Save The Children

Content Warning: This press release includes graphic details of sexual violence and may be particularly distressing to some.

KINSHASA, 7 March 2024 – Women and children fleeing deadly violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reported surviving gruesome sexual attacks and genital mutilation by armed men using tree branches, guns, and knives, Save the Children said.

Psychologists working with Save the Children’s local partners in displacement camps in North Kivu have documented mass events of sexual violence against children as young as nine. Teams are treating survivors nearly every day who are facing unwanted pregnancies, health complications, stigma, and suicidal thoughts.

The majority of sexual violence cases in North Kivu are happening when survivors are fleeing the escalating fighting between the DRC army, the M23, and many other armed groups, which has forced more than 250,000 people, including about 130,000 children, from their homes.

Elvis, a clinical psychologist with Save the Children’s partner organisation, Heal Africa, spoke of the horrific sexual attacks she’s treated:

“What pains me the most is the seriousness of the atrocities being committed. Some survivors tell us several men raped them at the same time, and objects were used on them, such as knives, tree branches, and guns. Others have been raped on numerous occasions, during different armed displacements, return movements or in search of something to eat in their village.

“These girls are left with unwanted and very high-risk pregnancies. Some survivors, no longer wanting to bear it, have the urge to commit suicide. I work with the survivor, so they know that what happened to them is not their fault. I establish jointly with the person or their relatives, a safety plan to mitigate the risk of suicide.

“There are also cases of some partners wanting to end their marriage because they believe their partner wanted it. Imagine the stigma, distress, guilt and rejection faced by these women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence. In these cases, if the partner is approachable, I do therapy sessions to find their family harmony.”

Last month, two Save the Children-supported health facilities in North Kivu were looted. Both facilities help provide desperately needed medical attention to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

The current wave of violence follows a tumultuous year of heightened outbreaks of conflict in North Kivu in 2023, when intensified fighting in the east of the country displaced more than 1 million people, including at least 500,000 children.

Save the Children documented more than 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence across the three conflict-affected provinces Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. These statistics are likely to be a significant underestimate of the true number of cases, as sexual violence often goes underreported due to stigma and fear.

Florence*, 15, was subjected to acts of sexual violence by two men while fleeing her home:

“One of them took me by force, strangled me, and [they] raped me one after another. He had strangled me so much that I no longer had the strength to scream. Then they left. I was afraid and ashamed to tell this story to the couple who had welcomed me into their home – they were friends of my parents, and even when I arrived at my mother’s [I couldn’t say anything].”

Florence explained that she only felt comfortable speaking up about her experience after attending an awareness-raising activity about abuse and violence against women and girls that Save the Children helped organise in the displacement camp.

“When I told agents from Save the Children that I was raped a few weeks ago, they quickly took me to the hospital; and there, the nurse told me that I was pregnant,” said Florence. “My greatest wish is to see, one day, my aggressors before the judges and be sentenced.”

Save the Children and its local partners are supporting sexual assault survivors like Florence in the DRC through mental health and psychosocial support, hospital and specialist referrals, organising support groups where survivors can share their experiences, and hosting awareness-raising activities about children’s rights and abuse.

Save the Children also provides survivors with information about support and medical attention to help prevent HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, and to cope with distress.

In many conflicts, sexual violence continues to be used as a weapon of war to terrorise women and children. Save the Children calls for an immediate end to the impunity of sexual violence against children by strengthening laws and enforcing them, while holding perpetrators to account. The child rights organisation also calls for increased investment to strengthen and better coordinate the collection of data on sexual violence and ensure survivors have access to adequate health and care services to support them on their long road to recovery.

Save the Children has worked in the DRC since 1994 to meet humanitarian needs linked to the arrival of refugees and the displacement of populations due to armed conflict in eastern provinces. Save the Children has scaled up its humanitarian response to support existing care systems, training local leaders and communities to prevent and respond to exploitation and abuse and ensuring access to healthcare through mobile clinics.

ENDS

*******************************************************************************************************************

 For further enquiries please contact:

–          Samantha Halyk, Senior Global Media Manager based in London, Samantha.halyk@savethechildren.org

Our media out of hours (GMT) 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

Cousins Kuji*, 19 and Kpemeh*, 18 wear their Ending Child Marriage Champion t shirts in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Shona Hamilton / Save the Children

Sierra Leone has a population of 8.4 million people and women play a central role in society. In rural and urban areas and in many households, it is still traditionally seen that women take care of the children including washing and dressing them, cleaning, and managing the house, preparing food and getting water and firewood.

With the average woman having just over 4 children in their lifetime, many spend their life juggling income generating activities alongside all the major family and household chores. 

GIRL’S SITUATION IN SIERRA LEONE

Girls, like all children want to go to school and spend time with their friends, but early pregnancy and marriage forces young girls to mature into young women at a very early age.  And for many, especially those facing poverty, child marriage means girls and women never reach their full potential to be who they want to be, never being able to finish education and choose when and if they want children. Never choosing their own dreams and careers.

Instead of creating the next generation of empowered girls and women through education, many suffer, stuck in a cycle of poverty, health complications, violence and dependency.  As a result, child marriage in Sierra Leone affects 30% of girls before the age of 18.

Kuji*, 19, holds her 3 year old son at home in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Shona Hamilton / Save the Children

FIGHTING TO END GENDER INEQUALITY

However, many initiatives and projects are driving change in Sierra Leone which has become a country of hope to really shift and balance the gender inequality power dynamics.

Role models have a powerful impact across communities, districts and across the nation.  I remember hearing Dr Modupe O. Taiwo, Save the Children’s Programme Director at the 2023 Women Deliver conference, speak about the impressive Radical Inclusion Policy of 2021, which has finally ensured pregnant girls and adolescent mothers can go to school. It has also enhanced the justice system for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence as well as the more recent Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022.

There are also many powerful community programmes, including one I recently visited in Tombo community, where I met Fatmata, a young woman who is a reminder of what women and girls can achieve when they are empowered and have equal opportunities.

It feels good to be able to speak up share your opinion and contribute to decisions around. When a girl is empowered she is limitless. She can stand and speak in front of elderly people and large crowds. She can help to build the community around her. It is true what they say; when you empower a woman, you have empowered the whole nation. Like madam Fatima Bio, she is making the impact she is making now because she is empowered. You can see the things she is doing for girls and women in the country. When there is a woman at the top, nothing will go wrong.

When a girl is not empowered, it is not good to see. She shrinks and hides herself because she does not have the self-confidence and belief. I have seen so many who have very serious or pressing things going on around them but are afraid to speak up. Some suffer in silence.’

She spoke about how she now feels able to speak whenever she wants, debating in school, at home and with her peers and how she now encourages her friends also to speak up and be the best version of themselves. Fatmata said:

Things changed for me when I realised that I can do things people once told me I cannot do or are for boys only. I do them now and get joy in doing them.

And this leadership needs to be at all levels. One of the most powerful advocates, as we heard from Fatmata, is Her Excellency, the First Lady of Sierra Leone.  I remember joining her a few years ago at one of the districts ‘hands off our girls’ campaign events. She has gone from strength to strength, being a role model and active voice for women and girls’ equal rights across the country.

From campaigning around GBV to menstrual health access to more recently driving up new momentum on ending child marriage, which is one of the most damaging experiences for young girls, locking girls and women into a cycle of poverty and a lack of choice.

Mr Kelfala, an Ending Child Marriage Project village champion (also a teacher) who supported Kpemeh*, 18 to stop her marriage in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Shona Hamilton / Save the Children

ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE

Child, early, and forced marriage is driven by gender inequality. Ending child marriage is one of the most important ways we can ensure girls and women are empowered. However, as we have seen from our own assessment, religious, financial, or cultural pressures often lead families to rush to lock the young girls into a child marriage.

Role models therefore can have a significant positive influence in empowering girls to see another option and the brightest hope for all girls and women to reach their full potential. Save the Children is committed to supporting initiatives that protect girls’ and women’s rights and contribute to their empowerment. 

On International Women’s Day we believe we must collectively advocate:

• For laws to protect girls from early marriage and continuation of education.
• To tackle and change harmful norms that prevent equality for women.
• For investment in women’s rights, including equality in the workplace, leadership positions.
• To ensure women can play an active role in every space, in our work, in education, politics, community and the economy.

A lot of work is still needed to give all women and girls an equal chance to make their dreams come true in Sierra Leone. However, with commitment and action from decision makers, community stakeholders, civil society organizations and women and children, this dream can one day become a reality.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK ON ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE IN SIERRA LEONE

Source: Save The Children

 

 

Sierra Leone, 6 March, 2024— People facing rising seas, fiercer storms and hotter weather along Sierra Leone’s coast will benefit from a significant new US$26.8 million initiative announced today by the Green Climate Fund, Sierra Leone’s government and the NGO Save the Children.

The Sierra Leone Coastal Resilience Project will empower communities to plan for climate change and improve their livelihoods. Aiming to reach 260,000 people directly, with an additional one million people expected to benefit from the initiative, which includes the conservation and restoration of 1,500 hectares of mangrove ecosystems.

Working with local partners, the five-year project will increase people’s food and water security, support education, enhance social inclusion and boost health and wellbeing. Improving opportunities for women, youth and children – who are especially vulnerable to climate change – will be a key focus of the project across all five coastal districts of the West African country. This will include supporting more than 70 schools to increase their resilience and improve teaching on climate change. Planning and governance for climate adaptation will also be strengthened from a local through to national level, paving the way for further investments.
 
Children in Sierra Leone are directly impacted by the climate crisis with an increasing number of climate-related shocks exacerbating child poverty and inequality through the disruption of family livelihoods, education, and negative effects on natural resources. 

The Green Climate Fund’s grant of US$25 million is complemented by co-financing from the Government of Sierra Leone’s Environment Protection Agency, the law firm Clifford Chance and Jersey Overseas Aid.

Save the Children Australia CEO, Mat Tinkler, said:

“Children and families on Sierra Leone’s coast are facing increasing storms and floods, hotter temperatures and rising sea levels. This locally-led adaptation project will equip communities with the resources they need to adopt climate-resilient practices in farming, fishing, education, water use and ecosystem management. Importantly, it will enable community members, especially women and young people, to access more opportunities and develop businesses. Save the Children is proud to see its fourth project approved by the Green Climate Fund and to support communities in Sierra Leone to implement their plans to address the impacts of climate change, helping to safeguard their futures.”

Green Climate Fund Executive Director, Mafalda Duarte said: 
“The Green Climate Fund is committed to supporting the most vulnerable and empowering local communities and nature to thrive together. We’re proud to partner with Save the Children to ensure frontline communities in Sierra Leone’s low-lying coastal areas have the tools to urgently build a more resilient future. I’m particularly pleased the initiative will work to restore 1,500 hectares of mangrove ecosystems, a powerful nature-based solution that needs further investment globally.”

Executive Chairman of the Environment Protection Agency, Government of Sierra Leone, Dr. Abu Bakar Massaquoi said:
“On behalf of the Government and people of Sierra Leone, I extend my deepest thanks to the esteemed members of the GCF board for their unwavering support and the approval of the coastal resilience project for our nation. This milestone represents far more than a mere approval. It is a testament to the collective recognition by the government and our partners, SCA and SCI, of the unique vulnerabilities faced by coastal communities and the imperative to take proactive measures to protect them. Through this project, we have an opportunity to implement innovative solutions, harnessing nature-based approaches, and sustainable practices to strengthen our coastal defences. We will work hand-in-hand with local communities, empowering them to be active participants in the decision-making process and ensuring that their voices are heard and valued”.

Deputy Carolyn Labey, Jersey’s Minister for International Development, said:

“It is a privilege to be partnered on the Sierra Leone Coastal Resilience Project and we are proud to see today’s official approval – an important milestone in vital efforts to tackle the climate crisis. This project focuses on one of Jersey’s key development priorities: the protection of fragile ecosystems through the provision of sustainable livelihoods for their inhabitants. We hope our contribution to the financing of the project will further empower coastal communities in Sierra Leone on the frontlines of climate change and ensure lasting impact for future generations.”

Tom Dunn, Global Pro Bono and Community Director at Clifford Chance, said: 

“The Sierra Leone Climate Resilience Project sits at the critical intersection between environmental sustainability and social wellbeing, which is also a core part of our foundation’s work to help deliver positive and sustainable action in the communities around the world where our clients and the NGOs we work with do business. It’s an honour to collaborate with the Green Climate Fund, Sierra Leone’s government and our long-term partner Save the Children, and we look forward to continuing to work together for maximum impact, and to build a more resilient future for the communities affected by the effects of climate change.”

This is Save the Children’s fourth project with the Green Climate Fund and first in sub-Saharan Africa, following the approval of major climate resilience and adaptation programmes in Lao PDR in November 2023,  Solomon Islands in July 2023 and Vanuatu in May 2022.

This important project will be implemented in partnership with the Environment Protection Agency Sierra Leone, communities and local NGOs, following extensive consultations with stakeholders.

The Board of the Green Climate Fund approved financing for the project at their Board meeting today in Kigali, Rwanda with representatives from the Green Climate Fund and Save the Children signing the project agreement alongside the government representative from the Environment Protection Agency of Sierra Leone.

###

Media contact: Media@savethechildren.org.uk

Download the photo here.

Notes to Editors:

• The project is supported primarily by a US$25 million grant from the Green Climate Fund. The design process of the project was supported by Drs. Sam and Diana Kirschner, the IKEA Foundation, Clifford Chance and American Express.
• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated climate fund. GCF’s mandate is to foster a paradigm shift towards low emission, climate resilient development pathways in developing countries. GCF has a portfolio of projects and programs across more than 100 countries. It also has a readiness support program to build capacity and help countries develop long-term plans to fight climate change. The GCF is an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and serves the 2015 Paris Agreement, supporting the goal of keeping average global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.
• Save the Children Australia in 2019 became the first development/humanitarian NGO to be accredited by the GCF, allowing the agency to partner with developing countries and apply for project funding. Save the Children Australia has long been a leader in climate change programming for the global Save the Children movement and leverages its significant global network of specialist technical advisers working in climate change, disaster risk reduction, health, water and sanitation, livelihoods, agriculture, and food security to develop and deliver climate programs.
• Save the Children Sierra Leone has worked in the country for over twenty years on climate change and disaster risk reduction, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, livelihoods, child protection, gender equality, health and nutrition.
• Local implementing partners for the project will consist of the NGOs Kaddro, Concern Worldwide (CWW), Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL) and Environment Foundation for Africa Sierra Leone (EFA-SL).

Source: Save The Children

MAPUTO, 5 March, 2024 – More than 61,000 children have fled a new wave of violence in Cabo Delgado provinces in Mozambique in the past two months, the highest number uprooted in such a short period, Save the Children said today.

Multiple cases of violent confrontation between armed groups and security forces were reported in the districts of Macomia, Chiure, Mecufi, Metuge, Mocímboa da Praia, Quissanga, Muidumbe and Ibo in renewed violence across the northern province, forcing more than 99, 313 people – including more than 61,492 children – to flee their homes between 22 December and 3 March.

Now in its seventh year with no immediate end in sight, the conflict in Cabo Delgado has taken a devastating human toll. There are repeated reports of beheadings and abductions, including multiple child victims. The conflict has already left 540,000 people displaced with more than a half of them children.

The spike in attacks come after a mildly calmer period with attacks concentrated in some locations in the northern part of the province. In the past year about 600,000 people returned gradually to their districts of origin in an attempt to resume normal life.  However some smaller scale displacements continued to occur due to attacks in some of the returnee districts.

In Chiúre province, recent attacks in  in Mazeze and Ocua – which were until recently a safe haven for displaced people – resulted in widespread burning of people’s homes, markets,  a health centre, and church. The destruction of civilian and public infrastructure threatens to roll back gains made in resettling families and children back to homes and schools.

Save the Children is calling for urgent action to protect children, saying this wave of violence is a renewed attack on education, with more than 100 schools closed across 6 districts in Cabo Delgado, including an additional 17 schools in Nampula, affecting nearly 71,000 children. 

Brechtje van Lith, Save the Children’s Country Director in Mozambique, said:

“There are children who are seven years old now, longing to go to school for the first time this year but are now fleeing for their lives. These children have never known life without war and sadly belong to a growing generation of children whose childhood has become elusive.

“The recent spate of conflict and attacks represents a major setback in efforts to rebuild the lives of children and families in Cabo Delgado. We are calling for an immediate end to this conflict so children can live a peaceful life and go back to school.”

Save the Children and partners are reintegrating children into schools in the host communities while ensuring the distribution of school materials to students and teachers. In some communities, tents have been erected to provide temporary learning spaces. The organisation provides psychosocial support services to children and their caregivers and identifies unaccompanied and separated children for family tracing and reunification. The organisation and most responders in Cabo Delgado are critically challenged to access adequate funding to respond to the ongoing humanitarian needs.

Save the Children is a major responder to the crisis in Cabo Delgado, reaching 381,773 people, including nearly 259,6766 children in 2023. Internally displaced people, host communities and families have been supported with life-saving and life-sustaining support, through child protection, education, health, nutrition, livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions, as well as humanitarian and peace building programs. Save the Children implements in Pemba, Metuge, Chiure, Montepuez, Mueda and Palma, Macomia, Quissanga and Mocímboa da Praia districts.

ENDS 

For further enquiries please contact:

Delfhin Mugo Delfhin.Mugo@savethechildren.org

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

Source: Save The Children

BRUSSELS, 5 March 2024 – Nearly 600 children have died in the war in Ukraine, while those seeking safety in the European Union only have one year left on their temporary protection status, Save the Children said today.

In an unprecedented move, on 4 March 2022, the European Council activated a Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), granting children and families from Ukraine entry to  the EU with access rights and services on arrival until 5 March 2025. With no end to the war in Ukraine in sight, and with the reality of safe and sustainable return impossible for many, Save the Children is calling for the long-term protection of children and their families beyond 2025.

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

“The EU’s temporary protection has been a lifeline for children and their families seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine. Over the past two years, 592 children have been reported killed, and thousands more injured and displaced. 

“With the conflict showing no signs of abating, it is crucial that the EU and European governments provide long-term protection for children from Ukraine and their families. Sending children who’ve escaped the horrors of war back to Ukraine, exposing them once again to the unimaginable risks and adversities they sought refuge from, is unthinkable.

“Governments and the EU must therefore think in the long-term, as this will also allow families to do so and give them a sense of certainty. This would safeguard the well-being of vulnerable children and provide the stability necessary for families to rebuild their lives in the face of an uncertain future for their country.”

ENDS

For further enquiries please contact: Anna.rauhanen@savethechildren.org

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Source: Save The Children

In light of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the Israeli advance on Rafah, the last refuge for more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians, the undersigned aid organisations are deeply concerned about the current and potential future suspension of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The suspension of funding by donor states to the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region, at a time where famine is looming and disease outbreaks are worsening, will impact life-saving assistance for over two million civilians, half of whom are children, who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza. 

When the General Assembly convenes on Monday to discuss the situation in the oPt, we urge Member States to take note that other aid agencies cannot replicate UNRWA’s central role in the humanitarian response in Gaza, and amidst the current crisis many will struggle to even maintain their current operations without UNRWA’s partnership and support. Considering the urgency of the situation, if the funding suspensions are not reversed, the risk of a complete collapse of the already restricted humanitarian response resulting in preventable loss of lives in Gaza becomes even more likely. 

It is important to ensure a thorough investigation into the grave allegations by the Israeli authorities that 12 UNRWA employees directly participated in the attacks on October 7, and to ensure full transparency and accountability going forward. But the investigation and any subsequent accountability measures must not derail the critical, life-saving work of UNRWA in Gaza and throughout the region. 

UNRWA is the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The plain reality is that UNRWA’s humanitarian role in this crisis is indispensable – including, but not limited to provision of health and education services, food and water provision, psychosocial support, and solid waste management – and cannot remotely be replaced by any other aid organization. NGOs have made it clear that they are unable to substitute for or absorb the role of UNRWA, especially in the context of the current crisis.  

Furthermore, the continuing operation of UNRWA is essential to their own life-saving work. As underlined by the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, the humanitarian response for the occupied Palestinian territory is dependent on UNRWA being adequately funded and operational and we echo his calls for decisions to withhold funds from UNRWA to be revoked. UNRWA employs more than 13,000 staff in Gaza, of whom 158 have been killed since the fighting began. Any pause or suspension of funding also poses major problems for UNRWA’s mission and its more than 30,000 staff throughout the wider region, with the agency serving nearly six million Palestinian refugees who live within the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region. We welcome the ongoing commitments by Member States who have continued their contributions to UNRWA and those that have made new pledges at this critical time. It is imperative that all donors resume support to UNRWA as quickly as possible to avoid damaging consequences for the Gaza aid operation at a critical time. 

Over 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in UNRWA facilities across Gaza. UNRWA’s 13,000 staff in Gaza far outstrip the collective capacity of the rest of the humanitarian sector in the territory. Their role in the facilitation and delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid at scale in this crisis has been heroic. UNRWA’s supply of vital shelter, food, and basic services like sanitation, as well as the use of infrastructure by other aid organizations, is irreplaceable. UNRWA staff have faced near impossible conditions for months: in addition to the 158 UNRWA staff killed during the ongoing hostilities, at least 404 people in UNRWA shelters have been killed during the hostilities; almost 1,400 have been injured; and 155 UNRWA installations have been damaged. UNRWA workers continue to serve their community amid this unprecedented violence. The funding suspension will have wider regional implications that need to be carefully considered. In addition to Gaza, UNRWA operates in 4 other locations (West Bank- including East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan) where it delivers critical services such as education and healthcare. 

When the General Assembly meets today, the undersigned NGOs urge Member States to reaffirm their support for the vital work that UNRWA and its partners do to help Palestinians survive one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our times. While accountability is crucial and a rigorous and credible investigation of the allegations should be supported, this can and must be achieved without further devastating Gaza’s civilian population. 

 

• International Rescue Committee 
• Norwegian Refugee Council 
• CARE International  
• Plan International  
• Mercy Corps 
• Oxfam 
• Save the Children  

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Source: Save The Children

An 11 year old boy pictured inside his damaged school following back-to-back tropical cyclones that hit Vanuatu in March 2023. Credit: Damian Mobbs / Save the Children Vanuatu

PORT VILA, Vanuatu 4 March 2024 – An innovative food preservation project in Vanuatu is helping families on the island prepare for future natural disasters following devastating twin cyclones a year ago, Save the Children said.

Back-to-back category 4 cyclones hit Vanuatu in March last year and impacted more than 80 % of the island’s population of about 320,000 people, causing widespread destruction to homes, buildings and food gardens and prompting the Government of Vanuatu to declare a six-month state of emergency.

Save the Children launched the food preservation project as part of its work supporting communities on the island who are vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis.

The project involves growing, harvesting, and exporting local fruits, vegetables, chicken and fish to Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila where modern food preservation technology has been used to transform these ingredients into shelf ready ration pack meals. 

The meals can be stored for two years ensuring the community can still access nutritious food even in the aftermath of future extreme weather events that may damage or destroy their crops.

Polly Bank, Save the Children Vanuatu Country Director, said:

“The fact that people in Vanuatu are still recovering from the twin cyclones a year ago is terribly sad and highlights the support still needed amid the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. It also shows that we must work with communities to increase their disaster and climate resilience so that they can prepare for future disasters.

“The launch of our innovative food preservation project will help prevent food shortages in the aftermath of a disaster that wipes out crops, which disproportionally impact children, including by exposing them to greater risk of malnutrition.”

Vanuatu’s recovery from the March cyclones was hampered by the early arrival of another cyclone season in October 2023. Tropical Cyclone Lola, the earliest Category Five Cyclone on record in the southern hemisphere and only the seventh pre-season cyclone since 1970, killed two people and again caused destruction.

Climate-induced disasters disproportionately impact children and young people, particularly due to disruption to education and psychosocial trauma associated with ongoing experiences of intensifying disasters.

Noa*, 11, who first spoke to Save the Children in the days after the twin cyclones in Vanuatu, said:

“I hate cyclones because they damage the environment, including our houses and gardens, as well as my school … I am always worried whenever I see a dark cloud of rain over the sky.”

Vanuatu is already one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, and as the climate crisis worsens, scientists say tropical cyclones will become more extreme.

Through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s Disaster READY Program, funded by the Australian Government, Save the Children is working with communities across Vanuatu to develop disaster preparedness plans and conduct drills to prepare for emergencies.

Save the Children in Vanuatu is also delivering the largest community-based adaption project ever delivered in the Pacific with the support of the Green Climate Fund, supporting climate-vulnerable rural and coastal communities through targeted community and local adaption activities in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Save the Children has a long history of responding to emergencies in the Pacific and Vanuatu, ensuring we work alongside the Government of Vanuatu in the coordination of the response.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Global Media Manager (Asia): amy.lefevre@savethechildren.org

Joshua Mcdonald, Save the Children Australia: joshua.mcdonald@savethechildren.org.au

Mala Darmadi, Save the Children Australia: mala.darmadi@savethechildren.org.au