SRI LANKA & INDONESIA HARDEST HIT
The IFRC – the world’s largest humanitarian network – is launching a 5 million Swiss francs (US$6.2 million) emergency appeal to support the Sri Lanka Red Cross. It has already deployed 1 million Swiss francs from its disaster relief emergency fund, said Ho.
Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency last weekend after Cyclone Ditwah triggered massive floods and landslides, killing at least 465 people in one of the country’s worst weather disasters in decades.
In Indonesia, the death toll has climbed to more than 800, with over 650 still missing. Aid agencies report that overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation and limited access to clean water are heightening the risk of disease.
Save the Children Indonesia noted that at least 1,000 schools have been damaged, closed or converted into evacuation centres in the worst-affected provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
“As a result, tens of thousands of children are currently out of school – their learning has stopped indefinitely. Prolonged disruption (in education) increases risks of child labour, early marriage and long-term learning losses,” said the non-profit’s CEO Dessy Kurwiany Ukar.
“In the aftermath of an emergency of this scale, children face long term consequences on both their physical and emotional wellbeing.”
To mitigate this, Ukar said the charity has set up temporary education shelters and is providing psychological support for affected children.
Source: CNA
