Save the Children Assists Children and Families Devastated by South Asian Floods
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Families in Nepal taking refuge after flash flooding. |
Approximately 20 million people have been displaced by the floodwaters, according to UNICEF, which reports that this year's floods — while not unexpected — have been particularly destructive. Although there has been recent improvement in the overall flood situation, and some of the flood waters have receded, residents are not in the clear. Save the Children is reaching out to more than 132,000 families across the region with critical health supplies and other essential supplies for education, child protection, livelihoods, and water and sanitation.
Across the region, Save the Children is also focusing on education for flood-affected children. Many schools have been destroyed or are being used as temporary shelters for displaced families. The agency has begun distributing supplies and other assistance to ensure that children do not fall behind in their studies.
"Millions of people are still in dire need of food, clean water and shelter, and the monsoon season has not even ended," said Rudy von Bernuth, who heads Save the Children's emergency response operations. "Water logging and severe road damage have made it difficult to reach affected villages in outer lying areas. This leaves children and youth in a very perilous situation as their families and countries try to recover over the coming months."
Read more about our work in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
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Monsoon waters have severely affected 10 states, home to 12.8 million people, including at least 5.1 million children. To date, the agency has reached approximately 16,802 children. Save the Children has:
– Distributed an initial one month complementary food package to 6,677 children, pregnant and lactating mothers and elderly people;
– Provided medical attention to 6,464 patients, including 2,500 children, in temporary health camps and through a cholera response program;
– Distributed sanitation materials and oral rehydration salts to over 5,000 children;
– Repaired 20 community tube wells;
– Provided 2,500 families, including 5,000 children, with tarpaulins for temporary shelter; and
– Supported the return of 3,300 children to school through the distribution of education kits.
The agency aims to reach a total of 13,341 families in the country, including over 30,000 children.
While intense storms and a major cyclone at the end of June caused severe flooding, the government reports that more than 371,000 families are homeless. Save the Children will target assistance to at least 26,000 households, including at least 18,000 children. The agency's ongoing response has provided 4,800 families in Turbat district with basic hygiene and food supplies; 1,000 families in Bolan and Kharan with basic hygiene and food supplies; and 700 families in Chagai with UNHCR-supplied shelter materials and other non-food items. Over the coming weeks, it will work to rebuild livelihoods, improve community health and nutrition, and support the reopening and improvement of schools, in order to ensure that children affected by the disaster will have the opportunity to survive and thrive.
In Nepal, where 29 of 75 districts have been flooded, Save the Children distributed food to over 15,000 families and other immediate relief items to 2,000 affected families in Kailali, Siraha, Banke and Bardia districts. In addition, 300 sets of tarpaulin sheets were recently distributed to those affected by a landslide in Bhojpur. Highly vulnerable groups, including children and pregnant and lactating mothers, are being prioritized for support. In addition, the agency will assist local communities in re-establishing quality education and health services by repairing schools, child development centers, health service centers, and the drinking water system. To protect children from starvation and the risk of spreading waterborne diseases, Save the Children also will organize health and sanitation sessions for affected communities.
More than two-thirds of Bangladesh has been submerged by flood waters since the start of monsoon season in late June, affecting 7.8 million people. Recently, Save the Children assisted in the evacuation of over 5,000 people to the nearest flood shelters. Families continue to face acute shortages of drinking water, food and coking fuel. The agency is working to mitigate the negative affects of flood on the lives of children and their families by distributing water purification tablets and installing hand wells; food packages containing dry food, biscuits, cereals, pulses, iodized salt, and sugar—as well as supplementary food for children under 3 years old to prevent acute malnutrition; and shelter materials. Save the Children plans to reach 82,000 flood-affected households, with priority given to children and families living in hard-to-reach areas; children without parents; the elderly and people with disabilities; and pregnant and lactating mothers.
You can help Save the Children respond to emergencies that put at great risk the survival, protection, and well-being of significant numbers of children. By contributing to the Children's Emergency Fund, you enable us to respond immediately to children and families who urgently need our help when disasters strike.
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