Category: New Zealand NGOs

Source: Save The Children

BAMAKO, 27 November – More than 136,000 people, including nearly 74,000 children [1], are trapped in the city of Timbuktu in northern Mali, with armed groups preventing the entry of food, medicines and other essential supplies, Save the Children said.

The siege of the historic city, which started in August, has led to a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with only limited food allowed in. The UN estimates that while at least 33,000 people have been displaced around Timbuktu since the crisis began, the rate of people fleeing has slowed down in recent months, following  violent attacks on displaced people. In one particularly violent episode in September, 49 civilians were killed on a boat while trying to escape the  besieged city. 

Save the Children has had to reduce its number of staff in Timbuktu in response to the worsening security situation, and is now working to maintain services while the siege deepens. With official aid routes completely cut off, supplies are dwindling and the agency fears the remaining services in the city may need to end soon if a resolution of the crisis isn’t found. 

With the harvest season about to end in December, much of the population has missed the vital opportunity to sell crops, leaving them vulnerable to extreme hunger and poverty in the coming months.  The blockade has already caused food prices to increase almost tenfold, making it even more difficult for families to access the basics. For several years, Mali and the wider Sahel region have been experiencing escalating food insecurity due to drought, as one of the world’s most vulnerable places to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Even before the blockade, children in Timbuktu were living in fear of violent attacks and kidnapping by armed groups. Now, Save the Children has heard of reports of children being separated from their families, recruited by armed groups, and being killed or maimed by improvised explosive devices.

Siaka Ouattara, Save the Children’s Country Director for Mali, said:

“The situation in Timbuktu is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past years. While children in the north of Mali sadly regularly experience displacement and violent attacks – many several times a year – it’s rare for them to be fully blockaded in a town, trapped with dwindling supplies. Thousands of children have passed months now without any access to health services, and the risk of illness increases with each passing day.

“Children in Timbuktu are distressed, scared, and dream of a life where they can stay in their villages and play. With every day the blockade continues, children are getting hungrier, more stressed, and more fearful. 

“These children want nothing more than to live in peace, play with their friends and go to school, and to share a balanced meal with their families. The ongoing blockade is preventing them from doing all of these. We call on all actors to end the blockade, and to ensure that civilians can move safely in and out of the city, and essential aid supplies can reach families and children in need.”

Save the Children is responding to the situation in Timbuktu through two long-standing programmes which were established before the blockade. Save the Children supports communities cash transfers against malnutrition, shock response, and cash for work activities. However, while activities are still ongoing, it has become increasingly difficult to reach certain areas and impact of the programmes has been impacted because of the blockade.

ENDS

[1] Figures from the “Cadre Harmonisé d’identification des zones à risque et des populations vulnérables au sahel et en Afrique de l’Ouest (CH2)” – a partnership including WFP, FEWS and IPC, released 24 November 2023 – put the number of people trapped in Timbuktu city at 136,000. The latest World Bank data puts the share of children in Mali at 54% of the population, and thus the estimate of 73,440 children in the population of 136,000 in Timbuktu city.

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Source: Save The Children

RAMALLAH, 26 November – Save the Children has welcomed the release of some Israeli children held hostage in Gaza and some Palestinian children held in Israeli military detention but reiterated a call for all remaining hostages to be released unconditionally, for more to be done to protect children in Israeli-run prisons, and for a ceasefire to protect children in Gaza.

The child rights organisation said the right to safety, protection and assistance must be fulfilled for all children, including Israeli child hostages and the hundreds of Palestinian children outside of Gaza who remain in Israeli military detention at risk of abuse and ill-treatment. This right to protection must also be extended to children in Gaza where an estimated 5,500 have been killed in the past seven weeks, according to officials in Gaza.

Prior to the ongoing escalation, about 500-700 Palestinian children were subjected to the Israeli military detention system every year. Between 7 October and 3 November, about 145 Palestinian children were detained by Israeli military authorities. A large number are being held without charge, trial or due process guarantees, which does not meet international juvenile justice standards.

Palestinian children are the only children in the world who are systematically prosecuted in military courts, with an estimated 10,000 Palestinian children held in the Israeli military detention system over the past 20 years. Denying children access to legal representation and to see their family, are both longstanding measures imposed by Israeli authorities.

A Save the Children report earlier this year found that the majority of Palestinian children detained by the Israeli military who we consulted experienced physical and emotional abuse, including being beaten (86%), threatened with harm (70%), held in solitary confinement (60%) or hit with sticks or guns (60%). Some children reported sexual violence and abuse, and 69% reported being strip searched during interrogation. 

Save the Children’s Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory Jason Lee said: 

“We welcome the news of the release of some of the Israeli children held hostage in Gaza, and those Palestinian children held in Israeli military detention so far.  They have experienced horrors no child should ever endure and must be provided with support to help them start the long-road to recovery.

“However, this exchange is just the first step needed in addressing the decades-old protection crisis of children, which can no longer be ignored.

“A lasting ceasefire must be agreed immediately, all hostages in Gaza must be released, and the appalling emotional and physical abuse of Palestinian children in detention must end.” 

Save the Children has been calling for an immediate moratorium on Israeli military authorities arresting, detaining and prosecuting children until comprehensive reforms to the system are made.

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

ENDS 

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Source: Save The Children

[Children in Abu Al-Khaseeb governorate, southern Iraq. [Emily Garthwaite/Save the Children]

Source: Save The Children

THE TRAILBLAZER

Munni is defying stereotypes by becoming the first girl to try fish farming in her community. Keep scrolling to see how she’s inspiring other community members, and leading other girls to defend their rights. 

The 18-year-old lives with her mum, dad, brother, and younger sister Tanni, in the ‘Haor’ – a wetland marsh which floods during the rainy season. As the climate crisis worsens, the floods have been more extreme than usual.

“The flood this year was unlike many past floods,” Munni says.

“There was a lot of damage. People had to vacate their homes. Half of our house was sunk in the mud. It was painful.”

Munni’s family was given an emergency cash transfer from Suchana which they used to buy a boat to transport themselves and their cattle around safely, to help meet their immediate needs.

Munni has also taken part in Suchana training to help communities increase sustainable food production in the long-term, and build climate resilient farming techniques to protect against flooding. 

During the training, Munni was shown how to farm fish in her small pond and provided with all the equipment.

“Everyone praises that I am doing fish farming, it’s going great. I’ll use the money from selling fish to progress,” Munni proudly explains.

Teach a girl to fish, and not only are you feeding her for a lifetime, but that knowledge has a ripple effect for others in her community. Munni is teaching other people in the community how to fish farm and her neighbours come to learn from her.

A crucial part of protecting her livelihood is the simple innovation of a ‘hapa cage’, a fine net installed in the pond, so that the fish can’t swim away during floods. Suchana taught Munni how to use a hapa cage in addition to providing all of the materials.

Munni is also leading the way in girls’ rights, and is a peer leader at her local Suchana Girls’ Group, where she has become an advocate for girls, speaking out against child marriage and advising others on health and nutrition.

These groups are a safe space for girls to spend time with each other, where they’re away from the pressures of household chores and have the time to be children together.

The group have worked hard to encourage girls to stand up for their rights and to pursue their education. Something that Munni is passionate about herself. She’s been able to use her income from fish farming to help her family, and buy notebooks and pens for her studies.

Munni is now determined to build on the success of her fish farm, study and do work that will help others. And she has the same hopes and dreams for the girls she’s grown up around.

“For the future of the girls in my village, all I hope is nothing else but the girls should be educated and they do good, always. That’s what I want.”

Source: Save The Children

Jakarta, 22 November 2023 – 465 Rohingya children have arrived in Indonesia by boat over the past week, many without food and water, as the number of Rohingya refugees embarking on perilous boat journeys jumps by more than 80% this year, said Save the Children.

Children arriving exhausted, scared and hungry, account for about 31% of the 3,572 Rohingya refugees who have set off from Bangladesh and Myanmar this year, according to the UNHCR. This compares to 1,947 Rohingya refugees risking their lives at sea in the same period in 2022.

So far this year 225 Rohingya refugees have lost their lives during their boat journeys or are missing – twice as many as in the same period in 2022. Many more remain unaccounted for.

Children told Save the Children’s partner in Aceh, the Geutanyoe Foundation, how they spent 11 days at sea with food and water running out two days before their boat arrived in Indonesia.

Some children are currently sleeping in tents without blankets, mattresses or mosquito nets. There is also a need for medicines, hygiene kits and psychosocial support for the Rohingya refugees.

The majority of Rohingya refugees have left from Bangladesh where more than one million are living in the world’s largest refugee settlement since fleeing Myanmar six years ago.

Conditions in the camps are dire with many living in squalid and overcrowded conditions. Refugees are not allowed to work outside the camps and are almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive. Food assistance has been cut twice this year to 27 U.S. cents per person per day due to a massive shortfall in funding.

Sultana Begum, Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy Manager for Save the Children in Asia, said: “Rohingya children are putting their lives on the line by taking these extremely dangerous journeys. Many of them are on boats for days, sometimes even weeks, and are desperate for food and water when they reach land. No child should have to endure weeks at sea in a flimsy boat. The increase we are seeing this year is extremely worrying.

“Those attempting sea journeys are at risk of abuse, exploitation and even death at sea.  The desperate situation of Rohingya families is forcing them to take unacceptable risks in search of a better life. These perilous journeys show that many Rohingya refugees have lost all hope.

“Regional governments must urgently honour their international obligations and commitments outlined in the Bali Declaration by facilitating safe landings for Rohingya refugee boats. It’s time for a swift and unified regional effort to enhance cooperation, save lives at sea, guarantee secure disembarkation, and provide people with access to humanitarian aid andprocedures to determine their refugee status.”

Save the Children has called on the international community to step up financial contributions and ensure the humanitarian response plan for the Rohingya refugees is fully funded. They should also work with the Bangladesh government to explore options for large-scale third country resettlement and support the expansion of formal employment and educational opportunities for Rohingya refugees and the host community.

Save the Children is one of the leading international NGOs working in the Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh. It has reached about 600,000 Rohingya refugees, including more than 320,000 children, since the response began in 2017.

Save the Children, with the support of the Bangladesh government, is running over 100 centres that support children’s learning and well-being in their mother tongue – Rohingya. Now we are helping these children learn Burmese by using the Myanmar curriculum.

ENDS

Notes to the editor:

Figures cited are from the UNHCR with comparative figures sourced from  https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/myanmar#powerbi. Data was last updated 22 November 2023.

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We have a spokesperson available in Bangkok. For further enquiries please contact:

Rachel Thompson, Rachel.Thompson@savethechildren.org ;

Aisha Majid, Aisha.Majid@savethechildren.org;

Emily Wight, Emily.Wight@savethechildren.org

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Source: Save The Children

Ramallah, 22 November – Save the Children CEO Inger Ashing said today the temporary truce and release of hostages was welcomed but it was critical to have a lasting ceasefire for the sake of all children:

“We welcome reports that an agreement has been reached for a temporary pause in fighting and the release of several children and women held hostage. It’s a step in the right direction, but all hostages must be unconditionally released and rights must be upheld for all children, all of the time – international law, humanitarian principles and the universal rights for children do not discriminate.

This truce will provide much needed respite from relentless bombing for children in Gaza, but they still lack the necessities to survive. Food, drinking water, a roof over their heads, medical care and most of all – to be safe and protected. More than half of Gaza’s housing units and schools are now damaged. All hospitals in the north are now out of service, unable to treat the thousands of injured children. Over one and a half million people are displaced and have limited or no access to food, clean water and sanitation to meet basic daily needs.

Right now, children in Gaza are at risk of dying from starvation, dehydration, disease, and if bombardments resume, they will fall back into the nightmare that has already killed their loved ones, destroyed their homes and put their futures at risk. A few days’ pause in fighting won’t keep children safe. We cannot let a whole generation of children bear the brunt of this conflict as the world watches. We need a lasting ceasefire now.”

-ENDS-

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Randa Ghazy – randa.ghazy@savethechildren.org 

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Source: Save The Children

Sifa*,33, in the DRC breastfeeding her newborn – Photo: Baraa Shkeir/ Save the Children 

• New Save the Children analysis found that more than 17.6 million children will be born into hunger in 2023, one-fifth more children than a decade ago 
• Findings reveal that the number of children born into hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is highest since records began  
• Sifa *, 33, who gave birth to a malnourished baby three months ago in the DRC, said she lives in constant fear this will be her fourth child to die 

LONDON / GENEVA, 20 November 2023 – At least 17.6 million children will be born into hunger this year, or about 33 children a minute, which is a 22% jump from a decade ago, according to new Save the Children research released today on World Children’s Day.  

Save the Children found about one-fifth more newborns will face hunger this year compared to 2013 when 14.4 million children were born into the grips of hunger. Using the latest country data on the prevalence of undernourishment from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO)and UN estimates on the number of births.  

Economic instability, conflicts and repeated climate shocks have contributed to a devastating hunger crisis that is affecting every corner of the world. According to the analysis, Africa and Asia account for 95% of the world’s undernourished births in 2023. The data does not include the impact the escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory is having on hunger or the birth rate in the region. 

“More than 17 million newborns will this year enter a world where hunger will eat away at their childhood. That’s 33 children a minute — about the size of a classroom in the US or the UK. Hunger will destroy their dreams, silence their play, disrupt their education, and threaten their lives,” said Hannah Stephenson, Global Head of Health and Nutrition at Save the Children. “The future of these children is already compromised before they even take their first breath. We must protect their childhoods and futures before it’s too late.”  

In countries where at least 25% of the population is facing chronic hunger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will have the highest number of babies born undernourished this year. About 1.5 million newborns are projected to be born into the grips of hunger in the DRC – the highest number recorded for the country since FAO records began in 2001. 

Projections indicate that in 2023, an estimated 6.6 million children under the age of five will be undernourished in the DRC. 

Sifa*, 33, living in a displacement camp in North Kivu, DRC, is struggling to feed her five children, including her youngest born just three months ago. After losing three previous children to malaria, cholera and armed groups, she fears she will lose another, this time to hunger.

“I live in constant fear that I will lose another child. I keep thinking: ‘will I ever see my children grow and will ever have enough food for them?’ I’m scared of waking up every day to find my baby gone,” Sifa said. “Since giving birth three months ago, I have been struggling to feed my infant.  I know I should eat more but what little we have I give to my nine-year-old daughter. She already begs for food every day and sleeps hungry, so I try to give her something. I know it’s dangerous sending her out there, but we have no other option, she needs to eat.” 

Afghanistan is bracing for the highest number of children born into hunger in Asia among countries with vast levels of undernutrition.  

Marium*, 10 months, is among the roughly 440,000 children estimated to be born into hunger in Afghanistan this year. At six months, Marium started getting diarrhoea and then was later diagnosed with pneumonia due to a weakened immune system. Her mother, Zolaikha*, 23, explained that the family cannot afford nutritious food to help keep her children healthy because of their limited income. 

She added: “Since the time we gave her water and homemade food, she started to get diarrhoea. She became severely weak two months ago. She was extremely weak. She was crying all the time and was always in pain or discomfort and had a high fever. I used to cry with her. It was difficult to see my daughter in pain. I hope no one’s child ever gets sick. My other child, Zohra*, was also severely malnourished. She had frequent diarrhoea too and later caught pneumonia as well. It is all because of drinking unsafe water and not having enough nutritious food.” 

Huge progress has been made in the past to reduce global hunger. According to the analysis, 21.5 million children were born into hunger in 2001, one-fifth more than in 2023. However, progress started to significantly decline in 2019, largely due economic instability, conflicts, and the worsening climate crisis.  

The latest country data on undernourishment was published before the escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, where 2.3 million people in Gaza have struggled to get enough to eat due to the ongoing bombardment.  Using the birthrate in Gaza from the UN, Save the Children found that more than 66,000 babies are expected to be born in Gaza this year, with more than 15,000 born between 7 October and the end of 2023. Without a ceasefire, babies’ lives will hang in the balance from the moment they are born.

“Hunger is not a lost cause. We have the power to significantly reduce the number of malnourished children right now, like we have in the past,” Hannah Stephenson continued. “However, if we do not tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, we will continue to see the reversal of progress made for children. This is a global hunger crisis, and it requires a global solution.” 

Save the Children is calling on world leaders meeting at the global food security summit in the UK today to address the root causes of acute food and nutrition insecurity. Only by putting an end to global conflict, by tackling the climate crisis and global inequality, and by building more resilient health, nutrition and social protection systems that are less vulnerable to shocks like COVID-19, conflicts, and the climate crisis, will we be able to ensure the same warnings are not ringing out again in the coming years. 

The child right’s organisation is also calling for greater collaboration, dialogue and investment across sectors with, and leadership by, local communities, to bolster response planning and implementation, as well as our abilities to act early and prevent predictable shocks from turning into crises. Save the Children is also calling on world leaders to scale up low-cost interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition: community-based treatment for acute malnutrition, supporting and protecting breastfeeding, and investing in community and primary-level healthcare. 

ENDS 

Notes to Editor 

• Methodology:  For the analysis, Save the Children used data from the UN Population Prospects for 2023 and the latest country data on hunger from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), which is measured by undernourishment. The most recent published FAO country data is up until 2022 – country data up for 2022/2023 has not yet been made publicly available. Data on prevalence of undernourishment is only available for the total population. In this analysis we estimate that the share of children affected by hunger is equivalent to the average of the total population, applying undernourishment rates to the number of births in each country. This likely underestimates the true effect as we would expect that poorer communities – in most countries home to proportionally more children – are more likely to be affected by hunger. This analysis uses country-specific estimates of hunger to reflect more accurately the share of children in the total population. 
• According to the analysis, more than 21.5 million children were born into hunger in 2001. In 2018, the number dropped to about 14.5 million but then jumped up to 15.3 million in 2019. In 2023, there will be an estimated17.6 million undernourished births, 22% or about one-fifth more than in 2013 when there was 14.4 million.  
• Between 1 January and 31 December 2023, there will be 525,600 minutes. 17.6 million divided by 525,600 = 33.48 – suggesting an average of 33 children a minute will be born into hunger in 2023. 
• According to the analysis, the top 10 countries with the highest number of children born into hunger in countries where at least 25% of the population is undernourished include: (1) DRC, Uganda, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Kenya, Somalia, Mozambique, Yemen, Chad, (10) Zambia.  
• Of the 10 countries that have at least 25% of their population undernourished, Afghanistan is number four in the world, and number one in Asia.  
• According to the analysis, Africa and Asia account for 95% of the world’s undernourished births in 2023, with Africa having more than 9.4 million children born into hunger and Asia with 7.4 million, equalling over 16.8 million total.  
• About 1.5 million newborns are estimated to have been born into the grips of hunger in the DRC – the highest number recorded for the country since FAO records began in 2001. Both the birth rate and undernutrition rate in the DRC is up since 2001. According to FAO data, 27.9% of children were undernourished in 2001, which jumped to 35.3% in 2021. 2021 is the latest country data on hunger published from by the FAO.  
• Using data from the UNFPA for the birth rate in Gaza and applying the twin rate for oPt,  about 183 babies on average will be born every day in 2023, more than 66,000 births for the entire year. There are 86 days between 7 Oct and the end of the year, meaning more than 15,000 children will be born into Gaza during this period. This analysis does not include the recent mortality rate of the current escalation of violence, so the number of births may be slightly lower between 7 Oct and the end of 2023.  
• Hunger definition: Hunger is the body’s way of signalling that it is running short of food and needs to eat something. Sustained hunger can lead to undernutrition, although it is only one of many causes; others include diarrhoea, malaria and HIV and AIDS. 

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–          GMU@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

Gabriella Waaijman at a distribution of hygiene kits in Türkiye. Gudmund de Stordeur Baudinet/Save the Children.

Right now the world is an incredibly dangerous and frightening place for children. The conflict in Occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, the earthquakes in Afghanistan, the violence in Sudan, widespread global flooding, and the continued impacts of the climate crisis and ongoing conflicts in so many countries are creating extreme levels of food insecurity. And it is children who are suffering.

As Humanitarian Director of Save the Children International, I’ve seen what hunger does to children. How it eats away at their childhoods. How it drains their energy and silences play. How it consumes their curiosity and crushes learning. How it grinds down their joy and turns their dreams to dust.

My work takes me to places where I have seen thousands upon thousands of people on the move because the land they live on no longer provides. Where I’ve heard the horror stories of parents in conflict zones losing their children one by one because they have no food or water. Where I’ve seen children in such pain from malnutrition that they can barely move let alone smile.

But hunger isn’t just eating away at childhoods in places ravaged by crisis. As the cost of living spirals upwards, children in all communities are not getting the food they need to play and learn. In classrooms in your own neighbourhood, there could be children who are watching their futures disappear before their eyes.

This is a truly global catastrophe. Right now, hunger is eating away at the childhoods of 1 in 5 children across the world. It is heart-breaking that millions of children still go to bed hungry every night.

This is a challenge that knows no borders, no boundaries, and no limits. This crisis strikes at the very core of our shared humanity. It is the most profound example of a world that chooses to prioritise differently. That chooses not to prioritise children.

We live in a time of remarkable technological advancement, where information travels across the globe in an instant and resources are abundant. Yet, hunger persists. We can change the trajectory of an asteroid, but we struggle to ensure that every child on our planet has access to enough nutrition.

Imagine a world where no child goes to bed hungry and where every child can live up to their full potential.

How many more dreams would be achieved? How many more brilliant minds would contribute to progress for all? How much more laughter would there be? How much more energy, optimism, belief and happiness?

I’ve seen what’s possible when people choose to put children first. How children on the very brink can survive, recover and then thrive – thanks to the expertise of Save the Children and the kindness of people like you.

We equip children and families with the tools to fight hunger. Our medical teams treat children with severe malnutrition, using antibiotics and therapeutic milk. We give malnourished children high-energy peanut paste packed with all the vitamins, minerals and calories they need to survive and recover.

We train local health workers to diagnose, prevent and treat malnutrition in their communities. And we give parents the cash they need to buy nutritious food for their children.

We can really make a difference – but we can’t do it without your support. Your choice matters. Your choice can help stop hunger taking everything from children. A small donation can save a child’s life. It doesn’t have to be much if everyone donates a little bit.

Hunger is personal to me. I have seen what it looks like. I know what it does.

That’s why I’m asking you today to give what you can. You can help children fight for their childhoods and feed their futures.

Gabriella Waaijman, Save the Children’s Humanitarian Director.

Support our Hunger Appeal by donating today.

Source: Save The Children

KABUL, 17 November 2023 – Thousands of Afghan refugees who have crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent weeks are experiencing alarming levels of serious illnesses that are escalating quickly, including life-threatening and highly contagious acute diarrhoea, said Save the Children.

Over 3,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and 1,200 cases of diarrhoea in children have been reported at Save the Children health facilities in the past month. This is being driven by families having limited or no access to clean water for drinking and washing, and people being forced to defecate in the open due to a lack of toilets.

Some 286,000 people have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since 1 October, with 139,000 arriving in November alone, according to the UN, after Pakistan announced that all undocumented foreigners must leave the country voluntarily by 1 November or face deportation.

The vast  majority – or 80% – of people returning to Afghanistan are women and children, with nearly one in four returnees children under five, and over 60% of returnees children under 17and below [1].

Many returnee families have found they have nowhere to live, and no money for food, and are staying in basaic shelters in a desperate and worsening situation, Save the Children said.

The severe respiratory infections are likely due to prolonged exposure to dust storms, enclosed smoky shelters, other sick people, and extreme cold weather, as many families have travelled to Afghanistan in open, overcrowded trucks.

Sharifa*, 20, an Afghan woman who recently travelled back to Afghanistan, said:

“The crowd at Torkham is overwhelming and not suitable for children and women. It gets cold at night and children do not have warm clothes. There are also few toilets and not enough drinking water. We want at least a proper shelter for us.”

Shireen*, 40, is in a camp after returning to Afghanistan. She said:

“In this tent with our family, we have my daughter-in-law and my 18-month-old grandson. My grandson needs warm clothes and a shelter. However, we have spent four nights outside without any shelter or even a tent. My daughter Farzana* got sick because of the cold weather and now she has a fever and a cold.”

Dr. Fahima*, 38, a doctor working with Save the Children, said:

“Children’s health condition is not good; most have stomach pains. Due to the lack of clean water and proper hygiene facilities, they cannot wash their hands properly. There are no proper clean toilets, and these children are not receiving regular and proper meals. If they stay here for a longer time or if the situation persists and the weather becomes colder, there will be many health risks for the children. It gets cold here at night, and it is difficult to ensure well-being of children inside these tents. This problem can negatively affect the health of both the child and the mother. There is an urgent need to provide warm clothes for children, as well as necessary items such as sanitary pads and underwear for young women. These items are essential to reduce the health risks that affect women and children.”

Save the Children Afghanistan has deployed a Mobile Health Team to provide health, nutrition, and psychosocial services to families returning from Pakistan, and built 10 gender-segregated toilets to ensure families are not defecating in the open. It is also providing clean and safe drinking water through about 20 water stations. In addition, Save the Children is establishing child-friendly spaces for children to ensure they have a safe area while their families’ documents are processed.

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

“The escalating cases of acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea present a major cause for concern. As the influx of people continues, the challenges associated with providing adequate water and hygiene facilities, particularly for families and girls, become even more pronounced. The urgent need for comprehensive and sustainable solutions is paramount to address the potential health crisis and ensure the well-being of the arriving population.

“These returning families arrive in Afghanistan with virtually nothing and face a grim reality – a stark contrast to the stability they desperately need. Compounded by existing humanitarian crisis, the impending winter intensifies the urgency for immediate assistance. The nation cannot withstand a mass influx of people without collective support.”

Save the Children has been supporting communities and protecting children’s rights across Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programmes in nine provinces and work with partners in an additional seven provinces.

Since August 2021, we’ve been scaling up our response to support the increasing number of children in need. We are delivering health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, and livelihood support.

ENDS

*Denotes name changed to protect identity.

Source: Save The Children

NAIROBI, 16 November 2023 – Devastating flash floods have killed at least 111 people, including 16 children, across the Horn of Africa in recent weeks, with more than 770,000 people displaced and rains showing no signs of slowing down, said Save the Children. 

Unrelenting rainfall across Kenya’s northern counties and the capital Nairobi has led to widespread flooding, displacing an estimated 36,000 people and killing 46 people since the beginning of the rainy season less than a month ago. Two boys drowned in two separate incidents in Nairobi, where city rivers have broken their banks and flooded informal settlements.

Similarly, heavy rainfall in Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands has left the central Somalia town of Beledweyne completely submerged, after the Shabelle river burst its banks forcing and estimated 250,000 people or 90% of the population out of their homes. Across Somalia, eight children are amongst 32 people who are known to have died in the floods, with more than 456,000 displaced country-wide. Bay region, in South West State, is bearing the brunt of heavy rains, accounting for 37% (454,320 people) of the more than 1.24 million people affected by the floods.

In the Gambella, Afar and Somali regions of Ethiopia, Save the Children teams are reporting continuous and relentless heavy downpours, which have led to flooding, landslides and displacement. At least 33 people including eight children have died in the floods in Ethiopia, with the deaths caused by people drowning while trying to flee the devastation[1].

The floods are the latest in a series of extreme weather events in recent years to hit the Horn of Africa, where children and communities find themselves at the sharp end of the global climate crisis.

The El Nino weather phenomenon, which has brought the unusually heavy rains, thunderstorms and extreme floods, comes after the worst drought in 40 years following five failed rainy seasons which has decimated livestock and crops, pushing the the region to the brink of famine.

The aid agency is calling for urgent national and international intervention to respond to the massive displacement in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Many of the displaced families forced to move to higher ground, including thousands of children, are now in critical need of emergency supplies like food, shelter, clean water, and toilets. 

Save the Children’s Country Director for Somalia, Mohamud Mohamed Hassan, said:

“We’re calling for urgent action to help communities to respond andbetter protect children’s lives and reduce long-term impact. While children are the most vulnerable to crises like these, they are also extremely resilient. With the right support, given at the right time, they can overcome even the most unimaginable challenges.”

Save the Children’s Country Director for Kenya, Yvonne Arunga, said:

“Children are always the most vulnerable in crises like this. They are more likely to face hunger, become severely malnourished or contract deadly diseases when they are cut off from nutritious food, safe water, sanitation facilities or healthcare.

“We need to urgently ramp up our support to families and children including sharing messaging with families on how to reach safe spaces in time ahead of flooding, supporting evacuation plans or protecting school infrastructure ahead of a storm so that children can return to learning as soon as possible. Critical to this is also making sure that children input into planning processes wherever possible.”

Save the Children’s Country Director for Ethiopia, Xavier Joubert, said:

“Heavy flooding and displacement have cut off families and children from basic services including access to food, healthcare, water and hygiene services. With that comes the real risk of waterborne diseases including cholera and measles.

“We need to make funds available to ensure we act in anticipation of such humanitarian crisis and the continuity of essential services like healthcare facilities, schools, and child protection systems. Interventions such as reinforcing buildings and water infrastructures to better withstand extreme weather or ensuring health teams are equipped with equipment and skills to support both prevention and response to outbreaks will go a long way in supporting communities.”

Save the Children is utilizing prepositioned items and humanitarian relief materials in Ethiopia and is providing cash assistance and distributing household items to displaced people in Kenya. In Somalia, the aid agency is running mobile health and nutrition services in evacuation sites, water tracking, hygiene promotion, distribution of mosquito nets and acute watery diarrhea kits.

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 2022, Save the Children reached 14.7 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, including more than 9.6 million children.

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