Disaster-hit children struggle without school buildings, charity says

BANGKOK, June 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - From earthquakes in Nepal to flooding in Myanmar, disasters damage or destroy thousands of schools leaving hundreds of thousands of children unable to go to class, yet education is often overlooked in humanitarian responses, a charity said.   Deadly earthquakes in Nepal last year damaged or destroyed more than 8,200 schools, leaving 870,000 children without classrooms.   Nearly a year on, many children were still taking lessons in makeshift facilities without walls, exposed to cold winter weather, Save the Children said in a report on lost education due to disasters in the Asia Pacific.  

Part of the problem is that less than 2 percent of humanitarian aid is earmarked for education, leading to delays in the reconstruction and repair of damaged schools, the global aid agency said.   "Regardless of the size of the disaster - it doesn't matter if it's small or big - education is disrupted, and students' lives are impacted," said Sarah Ireland, the author of the report, by telephone from Melbourne.   The report, to be launched on Tuesday, details the impact on schoolchildren of five disasters in 2015, including flooding in Myanmar that put 4,100 schools out of action, leaving 250,000 children in limbo for several months.   "Education needs to be prioritised as part of a holistic response," said Ireland, the humanitarian advocacy and policy adviser for Save the Children.   "If education is supported before, during, and after disasters, it can save lives, protect children and benefit whole communities and countries."   For example, many children attend schools that are not built to withstand the impact of natural disasters, Ireland said.   "If you consider how much time a child spends in schools, if a disaster hits, like an earthquake or a flood, that school is likely to cause injury or loss of life," she said. "We need to ensure the school is a safe place for children to go."   Schools - that are still standing - often play an important role in the humanitarian response to a disaster, serving as a community hub where disaster-hit families can access healthcare, clean water and food in safety.   "If children are in a school ... their parents can actually go about their business rebuilding their lives, knowing their children are in a safe place and that their children will be less vulnerable to trafficking, abuse or exploitation," Ireland said.   Save the Children's "Education Disrupted" report is due to be launched in Bangkok on the sidelines of a United Nations conference on disaster risk reduction.   Ireland said the report aims to provide information that will help improve future data collection and thereby improve post-disaster support and response.  

FACTBOX - The impact of disasters in Asia Pacific on schools and children

  By Alisa Tang   BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A greater humanitarian focus on schools before, during and after natural disasters will save lives, protect children and benefit communities and countries, Save the Children says in a report due out this week.   The report details the impact on education of earthquakes, floods and storms that struck Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vanuatu last year.   The disasters range from large humanitarian crises - such as the massive twin quakes in Nepal that killed 8,900 people - to the seasonal floods and storms that batter the Asia-Pacific region.   "The earthquake in Nepal had a huge impact on the country and received international media attention," said author of the report, Sarah Ireland, by phone from Melbourne.   "Floods in Indonesia happen every year, and we often don't hear about them," she added.   Researchers estimate the lives of 200 million children per year will be severely disrupted by disasters in coming decades.   Here are facts and figures from Save the Children's report.   INDONESIA * Between January and August 2015, Indonesia experienced1,160 disasters, including drought, forest fires, volcaniceruptions, landslides and floods. * Also during that period, there were 373 floods, affecting607,000 people, according to the U.N. Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs. * Rains in January 2015 submerged roads in Jakarta, and moredownpours in February caused further flooding, affecting morethan 27,000 people. * The floods affected 351 schools in northern Jakarta.Inaccessible and submerged, some were closed for up to twoweeks.   VANUATU * The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu is home to about250,000 people, with 64 percent of the population exposed tonatural hazards each year, including storms, floods, volcaniceruptions and earthquakes. * Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm in March 2015, triggeredfloods that destroyed infrastructure, homes and livelihoods,affecting 80 percent of Vanuatu's people and leaving half thepopulation in need of emergency assistance. * More than half of schools were damaged or destroyed, and34,500 children were affected. * Schools were closed for up to 30 days, and 34 schools wereused as evacuation centres.   NEPAL * A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015, followed bya 7.3 magnitude quake on May 12, 2015, killed 8,900 people,destroyed 605,000 homes and damaged 288,000 more. * About 3.2 million children were affected by the quakes,and of those, 870,000 were left without permanent classrooms. * More than 8,200 public primary and secondary schools weredamaged in the quakes. * Nearly 52,200 classrooms were damaged or destroyed.   MYANMAR * In June 2015, seasonal rains triggered heavy flooding inparts of Myanmar. * At the end of July, Cyclone Komen brought heavy rains andstrong winds, resulting in severe, widespread flooding thataffected more than 9 million people across 12 of the country's14 states and regions. * From June to October, the floods displaced about 1.7million people and damaged 4,116 schools. * About 250,000 children could not attend school because ofthe floods.   PHILIPPINES * In 2015, 14 typhoons and tropical storms hit thePhilippines. * Between 2007 and 2011, 10.8 million students in thePhilippines were impacted by disasters, and 8,472 schools wereused as evacuation centres. * Typhoon Koppu, a category 3 storm in mid-October, hitCentral Luzon, north of Manila, causing widespread floods andlandslides. * The typhoon displaced 1 million people and damaged 803schools, which were closed an average of two weeks, while 138schools were used as evacuation centres.   Source: Save the Children, "Education Disrupted" report