Source: Save the Children
Nine school children have been reunited with their families after being stranded at school for two days by the devastating flash floods in Northern Nepal, as rescue efforts continue to reach other students, Save the Children said.
The children arrived at an aid distribution point where Save the Children is working after walking from their school. Many children in the area travel long distances to their schools and were cut off in the aftermath of the massive surge of floodwater. With support from Save the Children, they were able to find their families.
At least 69 schools in flood-devastated districts in Northern Nepal have been destroyed or damaged, putting education at risk for nearly 19,000 children, Save the Children said [1].
The figures are based on an initial assessment and are likely to rise as rescue and response teams reach more areas and more information is available from affected communities [1]. Save the Children staff in Nuwakot said children in the devastated communities are holding onto the few belongings they have or searching for what they lost, including schoolbooks and uniforms.
Fears of further flooding are also causing new terror with families moving to higher ground. For many children, this is the first disaster of this scale they have experienced, and they are frightened, distressed and worried about their futures.
More than 500 people have died in Nepal in the disaster, and hundreds are still missing. Some families are camping in tents in front of their damaged homes as efforts continue to find survivors, while others are living with relatives or in community centres.
Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children in Nepal said:
“Reuniting children with their families in the aftermath of a catastrophe is an urgent and immediate priority, so when disaster strikes, getting children back to school may not seem like the most urgent need. Education is vital. For children who have lost their homes, their belongings and their sense of security, a safe place to learn can be a lifeline.
“School gives children something that is desperately important after a disaster: safety, routine, stability. It can help children cope with what they have experienced, while connecting them with the support they need.
“Education cannot wait until the emergency is over – it needs to be part of the response from day one.”
Save the Children in Nepal’s emergency response team is working in the affected areas and delivering essential items, including household and cooking kits, mosquito nets and blankets to 1,000 households in the first phase of assistance.
The humanitarian and child rights organisation is coordinating with national and local authorities to establish the immediate and long-term needs of children and families and is ready to scale up its response.
Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The organisation runs programmes spanning child protection, child rights governance, education, climate change, gender equality, health and nutrition and child poverty.
Save the Children New Zealand has already committed $150,000 to the response in Nepal. New Zealanders wanting to donate to Save the Children’s response in Nepal can do so through the Children’s Emergency Fund.
Notes:
[1] Figures from the Education Cluster – a joint group of NGOs, UN and the Government of Nepal. The group is co-chaired by Save the Children. The 69 schools have 18,918 students enrolled (9,350 girls and 9,568 boys).