[Interview] Nepal’s children face a new set of hardships after disastrous floods

Children in Nepal, affected by catastrophic floods, now face additional struggles. Surviving the disaster was merely the initial hurdle, as numerous young individuals are now encountering a fresh array of challenges. Ayush Joshi, Save the Children's director in Nepal, recounted a conversation with a girl at a holding center who couldn't sleep due to witnessing the tragic washing away of her four closest friends by the floodwaters.

Despite having been separated from her family, the girl's eyes revealed profound sadness. Joshi, who survived the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, emphasized that disasters impact not just infrastructure but also contribute to humanitarian and mental health crises among affected societies. The crisis will shift from an immediate disaster to a prolonged one concerning protection, health, education, and mental well-being for children, Joshi forewarned.

According to UNICEF's situation report, approximately 65,000 people were affected by the floods in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, and Tanahu districts, with 22,100 children among them. Severe damage was inflicted on key infrastructure, including six healthcare facilities. Save the Children estimated that at least 69 schools in the northern regions of Nepal were destroyed or damaged, leaving around 18,918 students grappling with an educational crisis.

Anup Rana, World Vision's field operations director, shared that among the confirmed 900 total deaths, at least 37 were children, and an estimated 200 children were either missing or separated from their families. The shelters, where the surviving children reside, are facing overcrowding issues. The number of children in one facility surged from approximately 30 to over 60, straining the availability of bathrooms, potable water, sanitation, and medical services.

Rana expressed concerns that the situation could worsen in Nuwakot, where pre-flood rates of poor growth and acute malnutrition among children were already at 32% and 12.1%, respectively.

Overcrowding at shelters has raised concerns about potential safety issues, including the risk of gender-based violence and other harm towards children and women in open shelters accommodating both adults and children. Relief organizations are focusing on providing immediate survival support and restoring access to education. In the city of Bidur, World Vision is supplying 15 days' worth of food, potable water, sanitation facilities, and safe shelters.

Save the Children is working to establish child-friendly spaces and temporary education centers in 11 holding centers across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and other regions, while dispatching mental health specialists. Education cannot wait, according to Ayush Joshi, emphasizing the need for sustained support as schools are reconstructed.

Local educators, like Rajendra Dawadi, head teacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, have called for psychological counseling and the quick resumption of classes in temporary spaces, having saved around 900 students from the floods by evacuating them just before the disaster struck.