Aline Rahbany and Kate Kobaidze ask, what does amplifying children's voices on climate change and mental health have to do with World Urban Forum?

Yanauo shares how traditional bamboo water collection evolved into using plastic containers as their village lacked a safe water source, causing children to fall sick. World Vision's Markham Wash project introduced toilets and handwashing, leading to improved health. With a new gravity-fed water system, families now enjoy clean, accessible water.

World Vision today warns the escalating hostilities in Lebanon have now displaced 1 in 5 children in the country, and almost 90,000 children at risk of developing mental health disorders as a result of their experiences.

This study “Public protection system in Ukraine: Oblast level mapping, assessment and services research” is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Grant Agreement: Providing multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations in Ukraine (2023-2024)” lead by Acted.

World Vision has introduced a new training programme aimed at bolstering mental health support for adolescents in West Bank. This initiative marks the first time participants in the West Bank have been trained on the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) intervention, an innovative, evidence-based approach derived from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

General overview Since October 2023, World Vision Lebanon has been responding to the devastating impacts of military escalations in Southern Lebanon. On 23 September, the conflict started to escalate quickly, its impact reaching the central part of Lebanon, including Bekaa and Beirut. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reports that as of 26 October, nearly 2,672 people have been killed, including at least 155 children, and more than 12,468 have been injured. More than 1.2 million people have been directly affected and/or have been forced to flee from their homes for safety to other parts of the country. More than 191,692 internally displaced people (IDP), half of them women and more than 400,000 displaced children, have sought safety at one of the more than 1,097 temporary shelters set up in schools and other administrative buildings.

The population in Northwest Syria is 5.1 million, 4.2 million of which are in need of assistance. Among them, 3.6 million are food-insecure, 3.4 million are internally displaced, and 2 million are living in camps. From 2014 to 2023, the cross-border aid delivery mechanism from Türkiye has served as a critical lifeline to people in Northwest Syria. Based on the consent letter dated 13 July 2023, the Government of Syria granted the UN permission to use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for humanitarian aid delivery into Northwest Syria. This arrangement eliminated the need for a UN Security Council resolution and, since then, the consent letter to deliver aid has been renewed every six months. A recent Protection Cluster assessment of 259 communities in Northwest Syria revealed limited access to protection services and aid, with 55% of communities reporting no assistance. Another recent assessment conducted by the Education Cluster showed that 54% of schools in the region were affected, with approximately 1,000 schools partially damaged. This has led to an increase in out-of-school children, rising from an estimated 800,000 to 1 million. The ongoing conflict in the area had already compromised sewage networks due to airstrikes, ground battles, and inadequate infrastructure management. These factors resulted in the destruction of wastewater pipelines, rendering substantial portions of the sewage system inoperable. The earthquake also caused significant damage to vital WASH facilities, including the collapse of water reservoirs, towers, stations, and sanitation systems. A REACH assessment indicated that at least 25% of WASH services in Northwest Syria were damaged. This exposure to untreated sewage has contributed to the spread of waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, and gastroenteritis; this posed a significant threat to local water sources and public health. The existing WASH infrastructures, already fragile and inadequate, have been further strained by limited funding.