Recent Emergencies
Children are often the most vulnerable to injury and disease in emergency situations and through our work we have ensured that children in countries affected by emergencies have had access to food, shelter, healthcare, clean water and education. Read about how Save the Children responded to meet the needs of children in extremely dangerous and difficult places.
Humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe
In December 2008, Zimbabwe suffered a cholera outbreak, with 7,000 reported cases. This was just a sign of the huge humanitarian crisis that was hitting the country: economic and political crises, collapsed services and healthcare, and flooded harvests. Save the Children provided education for 150,000 children and a cholera response.
Food Crisis in Ethiopia
In October 2008, in Ethiopia some of the poorest families were unable to feed their families at all, children in some of the worst affected areas were struggling to survive on a diet of weeds and roots.
Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar
On May 2, 2008 Cyclone Nargis hit Burma with winds of up to 120 mph. Of the 22,000 dead and 41,000 missing, 40% were estimated to be children. Save the Children has been working in Burma for 13 years and the response was immediate.Food, water purification tablets and kitchen equipment were provided to 110,000 people.
India and Nepal floods
Heavy rains in August 2008 caused the worst floods in Nepal and India in 50 years. What started being termed as “Indian Katrina” forced people to take refuge on embankments, buildings and highways. Save the Children had already responded to previous floods in the region and launched a global emergency appeal.
Four storms in two weeks stroke Haiti
Four tropical storms hit Haiti from mid-August to early September in 2008, washing away small villages, roads, bridges and affecting 250,000 people. Save the Children immediately targeted help and established safe play areas to try and restore a sense of routine and normality for children, who were also helped in going back to school.
Resurgence of conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo
Despite 10 years of turmoil, the Congolese Army and the rebel forces faced each other again in October 2007. The aftermath: 300,000 displaced people . Save the Children has been in DRC since 1994 and helped with education, health and nutrition activities, shelter materials and household kits.
China's big movement
On May 12, 2008 China started shaking and reached 8 on the Richter scale. The earthquake destroyed lives, infrastructure and buildings. Save the Children has been working in China for 14 years and promptly deployed its help, setting up safe areas and temporary schools for children orphaned by the seism.
Cyclone Sidr strikes Bangladesh
Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh on November 2007 changing the lives of 8.9 million people. Save the Children had a unique approach, as it was one of the few humanitarian agencies already positioned in the path of the storm before it hit the country. Emergency response committees were activated together with the government.
Hurricane Stan devastates Central America
Thousands of families were forced from their homes in El Salvador and Guatemala as a result of torrential rains, floods and landslides from Hurricane Stan in 2005. Save the Children worked closely with authorities to assist displaced families.
Hunger Relief in East Africa
In East Africa, an increasing number of children and families are at-risk of malnutrition, many are already starving. Save the Children is providing relief by facilitating livestock trading programmes as well as food and nutrition services especially for under 5s.
Boxing Day Indian Ocean Tsunami
Families were uprooted and homes destroyed as millions of peoples lives were changed on Boxing Day 2004. Save the Children was quick to respond to the crisis and as a result of our rapid response thousands of children were saved in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.
Indonesian Earthquake
On the 27th May 2006 an earthquake reaching a magnitude of 6.2 struck central Java in Indonesia. The affected population totaled 2.7 million. The support provided by Save the Children ensured that after the earthquake children could continue their education in emergency schools.
Crisis in Middle East
Save the Children has worked in the Middle East since 1949, when health services were provided to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. We support a wide variety of programmes in Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine aimed at improving the lives of children living in poverty.
Food crisis in Niger
"So many people in Niger are so desperately poor that a small shock creates a humanitarian disaster" says Toby Porter, Save the Children’s Director of Emergencies. "There is no war in Niger, no rebel groups, no despots, no problems getting the aid in. It is just poverty."
Earthquake in Peru
Nearly a quarter of all structures collapsed in Ica, Peru, when an eartquake shook the costal district on 15 August 2007. Save the Children responded by distributing life-saving blankets, cold-climate tents and kitchen equipment to families made homeless by the earthquake.
South Asia Earthquake
More than a million school children were affected by the Pakistan earthquake in 2005. Around 8,000 schools were destroyed or damaged, Already Save the Children has built a number of temporary and semi permanent school shelters enabling children to return to education.
Sudan
Prolonged civil strife and mass exodus of people has profoundly disrupted the socio-economic fabric and livelihood of the inhabitants of Darfur. A number of livelihood intitatives including farming assistance and literacy training for women are being led by Save the Children to supoprt these communities.