For the next few months, the only news that mattered in Indonesia, and probably around the world, was the mega Aceh Earthquake and Tsunami disaster, which that had claimed the lives of 230,000 people across multiple countries, including 100,000 of them in Aceh. It was a global grief moment.

World Vision Haiti's earthquake response provided WASH, food, shelter, health, and child protection support to over 155,000 vulnerable individuals.

This report, “Advocates for Change: Asia Pacific Children and Youth’s Voices & Perspectives on Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction”, is the result of the collaboration between partners from different development organizations. This project commenced in May 2024 and culminated in the launch of the report in October 2024 by the Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety (APCSS).

Unaccompanied Syrian children in need of mental health support

Emergency Relief to Earthquake Affected Populations in Nepal Project was funded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and was implemented from March of 2024 to June of 2024 as a part of West Nepal Earthquake Response Project initiated after the devastating earthquake in Bajhang and Jajarkot districts of Nepal.

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This report presents the findings from a unique piece of research conducted by World Vision Syria Response in Northwest Syria (NWS) and Southern Türkiye. It is the first of its kind to specifically explore how the February 2023 earthquakes in the region have impacted unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and who were separated from their families during the disasters. The study brings together the diverse perspectives and experiences of caregivers, community members and most importantly, Syrian UASC in some of the worst earthquakes-affected areas. The report underlines the critical role of community-based alternative care systems in caring for unaccompanied and separated children and emphasises the severe gaps in existing services for children without parental care. Finally, it calls for increased prioritisation of Syrian unaccompanied and separated children in both NWS and Southern Türkiye in the overall humanitarian response to the Syrian conflict.

Summary Brief of LOST AND ALONE: Addressing the Crisis of Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Post-Earthquakes Northwest Syria and Southern Türkiye

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.