UNICEF setting up hundreds of new learning centres for Rohingya refugee children

On 29 September 2017, students with their teacher going through their studies at the Child Learning Centre at the Unchiprang Makeshift Camp in Cox's Bazar district in Bangladesh. UNICEF announced 30 September that it is planning to establish more than 1,300 new learning centres for Rohingya children who have fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh. UNICEF is currently running 182 learning centres in Rohingya camps and makeshift settlements in Cox’s Bazar, and has enrolled 15,000 children. It plans to increase the number of learning centres to 1,500, to reach 200,000 children over the next year. The learning centres provide early education to children aged 4 to 6, as well as non-formal basic education to children from ages 6 to 14. In each learning centre there are three shifts, with each shift comprising of 35 children. Children learn English, Math, Burmese, Science, Arts and Anthems in the learning centres. Children also receive psychosocial counselling, and are taught hygiene and life skills.  The children are given books, pens, colouring pencils, school bags and other educational materials. Over a quarter of a million Rohingya children have fled Myanmar into Cox’s Bazar since August 25.

UNICEF setting up hundreds of new learning centres for Rohingya refugee children

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News, Rohingya Refugee Crisis 20:45

© UNICEF/UN0126492/Brown On 29 September 2017, students with their teacher at the Child Learning Centre at the Unchiprang Makeshift Camp in Cox Bazar. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh/HONG KONG, 29 September 2017 – UNICEF announced today that it is planning to establish more than 1,300 new learning centres for Rohingya children who have fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh. […]

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On 8 November 2016, 13 year old Modu Umar attends a UNICEF-supported school in an IDP camp in Monguno, Borno State, Nigeria. Modu fled to the state capital, Maiduguri, during fighting between the government and Boko Haram but has now returned to his family home in Monguno. There are almost 960,000 returnees in need of humanitarian assistance in north-east Nigeria. UNICEF, in partnership with the Nigerian government, continues to support IDPs, host populations and returnees through its multi-sector response in education, nutrition, health, child protection and WASH. In November 2016, north east Nigeria remains in the grips of a humanitarian emergency. An ongoing conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military has resulted in 7 million individuals in desperate need of assistance across Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Adamawa states. Approximately 55% are children. In collaboration with the government and humanitarian partners, UNCEF is providing life saving services across both north-east Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Niger and Chad). In Nigeria alone, primary health care services have reached over 3 million people with hundreds of thousands of children receiving psychosocial support, therapeutic feeding, access to safe water and education.

More than half of all schools remain closed in Borno State, epicentre of the Boko Haram crisis in northeast Nigeria

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News, Nigeria Crisis 11:39

© UNICEF/Vittozzi 13 year old Modu Umar attends a UNICEF-supported school in an IDP camp in Monguno, Borno State, Nigeria. 3 million children need emergency education support at the start of the new academic year. MAIDUGURI/DAKAR/NEW YORK/HONG KONG, 29 September 2017 –The crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria means that over […]

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On 7 September 2017, newly arrived Rohingya refugees walk ashore at Shamlapur beach in Cox's Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh, after traveling for 5 hours in a boat across the open waters of the Bay of Bengal. By 5 September 2017, more than 146,000 Rohingya refugees fled across the border from Rakhine State, Myanmar, into Cox's Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh since 25 August. As many as 80 per cent of the new arrivals are women and children. More than 70 000 children need urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 100,000 of the newly arrived refugees are currently residing in makeshift settlements and official refugee camps that are extremely overcrowded while 10,000 newly arrived refugees are in host communities. In addition, 33,000 arrivals are in new spontaneous sites, which are quickly expanding. While some refugees are making their own shelters, the majority of people are staying in the open, suffering from exhaustion, sickness and hunger. Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable districts, not only for its poor performance in child related indicators but also for its vulnerability to natural hazards. Most people walked 50 or 60 kilometers for up to six days and are in dire need of food, water and protection. Many children are suffering from cold fever as they are drenched in rain and lack additional clothes. Children and adolescents, especially girls, are vulnerable to trafficking as different child trafficking groups are active in the region. Many more children in need of support and protection remain in the areas of northern Rakhine State that have been wracked by violence. In Bangladesh, UNICEF is scaling up its response to provide refugee children with protection, nutrition, health, water and sanitation support. With the recent influx of refugees, demand has increased and UNICEF is working to mobilize more support and strengthen its existing activities. For recreational and psychosocial sup

Statement from UNICEF Representative on the drowning of Rohingya refugee women and children in the Bay of Bengal

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News, Rohingya Refugee Crisis 20:32

© UNICEF/UN0120419/Brown On 7 September 2017, newly arrived Rohingya refugees walk ashore at Shamlapur beach in Cox’s Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh, after traveling for 5 hours in a boat across the open waters of the Bay of Bengal. Statement attributable to UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder. COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH/HONG KONG, 28 September 2017 […]

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(Right) Lovens Pervil, 7, and is brother Emmanuel Pervil, 2, sit on a sofa outside their home, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in Grand Turks, Turks and Caicos Islands, Friday 15 September 2017. The aftermath of Hurricane Irma, a category five hurricane that hit the Caribbean between Wednesday 6 September and Sunday 10 September, is putting the well-being of hundreds of thousands of children in the Caribbean in danger. The extent of the devastation to Cuba and islands in the Eastern Caribbean is beginning to become clearer as rapid assessments are underway. With high winds, heavy rain and storm surges, Irma caused widespread damage to homes, schools, health centers and basic infrastructure across the region. Needs assessments are underway across all the islands affected by Hurricane Irma. UNICEF staff are on the ground, working in close coordination with government and implementing partners, evaluating the most urgent needs for children and adolescents. As of 14 September 2017, 132 schools are potentially affected in Anguilla, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos islands.

UNICEF expands relief efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean to reach more children and families following ‘relentless’ month

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News 20:54

© UNICEF/Moreno Gonzalez Emmanuel Pervil, 2, and his brother Lovens Pervil, 7, sit on a sofa outside their home, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in Grand Turks, Turks and Caicos Islands. UNICEF Mexico Ambassador Thalia highlights need to ‘heal’ children’s psychological wounds. NEW YORK/PANAMA CITY/HONG KONG, 27 September 2017 – UNICEF has scaled up […]

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(Chinese only) No water, big deal!

HK News, Latest News, Water Sanitation & Hygiene 15:47

(Chinese only) 你有否想過有天打開家中水龍頭，流出來的是骯髒的水？或者，對我們來說，擁有潔淨食水是一件想當然的事。然而，對很多居於戰亂頻繁地區的人而言，安全食水和基本衞生設施卻是奢侈品。 現時，全球有超過1.8億人受衝突和局勢不穩影響而缺乏足夠食水。早前，聯合國兒童基金會（UNICEF）在世界水周期間發表報告，表示交戰方經常破壞敵方的食水和衞生設施，最終剝奪了很多人的基本權利。根據UNICEF和世界衞生組織分析，受衝突影響的人比處於正常情況下的人缺乏基本食水的機會高4倍。 別以為無水用問題不大，其實安全食水，環境及個人衞生缺一不可，亦與疾病和營養不良息息相關。戰爭迫使人們離開家園，他們在逃亡路上入住的臨時收容所大多沒有廁所和安全食水，霍亂疾病因而四處散播。脆弱的兒童易受感染，患病後亦難以送往醫院或醫療中心。另外，本身已經營養不良的兒童，飲用不安全的水將更容易感染惡疾，甚至致命。目前，也門就有超過50萬宗疑似霍亂和急性水樣腹瀉的病例，當中逾53%是兒童。 為保護兒童生命，UNICEF食水、個人及環境衞生（WASH）項目積極解決上述問題，包括每天向臨時收容設施提供數千公升安全食水、支援及協助各個戰亂地區如也門及索馬里等地推行相關工作，例如水源管理和污水處理計劃。誠UNICEF全球食水、個人及環境衞生項目負責人Sanjay Wijesekera所言：「每一名兒童，不論貧富，都應享有生存、健康成長及擁抱將來的權利。」 原文刊登於2017年9月27日《星島日報》「放眼世界」「攜手為兒童」專欄

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Learning through play

Early Childhood Development, Global News, Latest News 11:59

 ©UNICEF/UN070281/Ose Play is filled with opportunities for children to learn and is critical for their brain development in early childhood. The first five years of life have a significant effect on a child’s future. This is because children’s brains grow faster in early childhood than at any other time. When nurtured in safe and stimulating […]

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On 15 September 2017, newly arrived Rohingya refugee children make the long journey into Bangladesh carrying all of their possessions, after their village was torched in Myanmar. As other refugees have done, they will try to find a small square of land to build a makeshift shelter out of plastic sheeting and bamboo in Kutupalong refugee camp, Cox's Bazar district. By 5 September 2017, more than 146,000 Rohingya refugees fled across the border from Rakhine State, Myanmar, into Cox's Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh since 25 August. As many as 80 per cent of the new arrivals are women and children. More than 70 000 children need urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 100,000 of the newly arrived refugees are currently residing in makeshift settlements and official refugee camps that are extremely overcrowded while 10,000 newly arrived refugees are in host communities. In addition, 33,000 arrivals are in new spontaneous sites, which are quickly expanding. While some refugees are making their own shelters, the majority of people are staying in the open, suffering from exhaustion, sickness and hunger. Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable districts, not only for its poor performance in child related indicators but also for its vulnerability to natural hazards. Most people walked 50 or 60 kilometers for up to six days and are in dire need of food, water and protection. Many children are suffering from cold fever as they are drenched in rain and lack additional clothes. Children and adolescents, especially girls, are vulnerable to trafficking as different child trafficking groups are active in the region. Many more children in need of support and protection remain in the areas of northern Rakhine State that have been wracked by violence. In Bangladesh, UNICEF is scaling up its response to provide refugee children with protection, nutrition, health, water and sanitation support. With the recent influx of refugees, demand

UNICEF emergency supplies for Rohingya refugee children arrive in Bangladesh

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News, Rohingya Refugee Crisis 10:28

© UNICEF/UN0121690/Nybo On 15 September 2017, newly arrived Rohingya refugee children make the long journey into Bangladesh carrying all of their possessions, after their village was torched in Myanmar. DHAKA, Bangladesh/HONG KONG, 24 September 2017– A consignment of UNICEF emergency supplies for hundreds of thousands of refugee Rohingya children and their families has arrived in […]

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On 9 September 2017 in Oaxaca, Mexico, adolescent volunteers from San Blas Atempa help to remove debris and clear the streets of San Mateo del Mar affected by the earthquake. On 7 September at 11:49 pm, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.1 on the Richter scale struck Mexico’s coast of Chiapas, which heavily affected neighbouring state Oaxaca and slightly affected other parts of the country, including Mexico City. More than 120 municipalities in Chiapas and 41 others in Oaxaca have been declared under a state of emergency. The Ministry of Education declared that all schools are closed in the capital and in the affected areas. Some schools were reported to be damaged in the two most affected states. Hospitals in Chiapas and Oaxaca have been severely affected and according to the Ministry of Health patients were evacuated and the Children’s Hospital and Regional Hospital of Chiapas were closed. At least 8 hospitals in total were damaged in Chiapas. Over two million children live in the 166 municipalities that have been declared under a state of emergency by the Mexican Government, and it is crucial for them to resume their normal lives as soon as possible following the 8.1 magnitude earthquake. On 9 September 2017, UNICEF sent three Rapid Assessment Teams to the Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca to assess the situation of children affected by the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the country on 7 September 2017 and determined that it is a matter of priority for children and adolescents to receive psychosocial support and all the necessary help to return to school as soon as possible. The Mexican authorities have the institutional capacity to ensure that children resume their schooling through mobile classrooms in the case of those schools that have suffered damages, and UNICEF is ready to support their efforts through its School in a Box programme, which the organisation implements in emergency situations at global level. UNICEF will present a full p

Education at risk for thousands of children after successive earthquakes in Mexico

Emergency Relief, Global News, Latest News 10:40

© UNICEF/UN0120076/Solís On 9 September 2017 in Oaxaca, Mexico, adolescent volunteers from San Blas Atempa help to remove debris and clear the streets of San Mateo del Mar affected by the earthquake. MEXICO CITY/NEW YORK/HONG KONG, 23 September 2017 – Nearly 5,100 schools have been damaged or destroyed in Mexico following two powerful earthquakes that struck […]

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Only 15 countries worldwide have three essential national policies that support families with young children

Early Childhood Development, Global News, Latest News 11:35

© UNICEF/UN044581/Kim November, 2016 UNICEF visit to perinatal centre in Aktau to assess quality of medical care provided in order to provide further expertise in improving mother and child care at the hospital. Aktau city, Mangystau oblast, Kazakhstan. New report says around 85 million children under five live in 32 countries that do not offer […]

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