Child victims of the ‘forgotten crisis’ that threatens millions in Lake Chad region

It’s been called the “forgotten crisis”. While the Syria and Yemen conflicts have been grabbing聽global headlines, the growing humanitarian problem in the Lake Chad region of Africa has almost gone under the radar.

Huge numbers of people could die of hunger in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon聽unless urgent action is taken.

And children – particularly the very young – are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

About 500,000 under-fives are suffering from severe acute malnutrition – the most extreme and visibly obvious form. It is a major cause of death in this age group.

Today donors pledged more than $670 million in emergency aid for people threatened by famine in聽the Lake Chad region. A special humanitarian conference in Oslo, Norway, said the money was aimed at helping more than 10 million people.

Famine began last year in the northeast of Nigeria, where the government is fighting Boko Haram and聽millions of people have been forced from聽their homes. That – combined with聽Lake Chad聽drying up due to climate change – has caused a massive聽and complex聽humanitarian problem.

“This is a crisis of forgotten children,” said聽Kathryn Taetzsch, the Lake Chad Basin response director for the charity聽World Vision. “Not only have children been forced to endure atrocities of enormous proportions聽but many are also suffering the effects of hunger and illnesses.”

For months,聽国产视频 has been calling for a humanitarian response that includes safe spaces for the youngest children caught up in the crisis and safe,聽quality education for all children.

国产视频’s #5for5 campaign on early childhood development has also been driving home the message that nurturing care in emergencies – including the provision of safe spaces and nutrition聽– is vital for聽children under five.

Vulnerable babies and young children caught up in conflicts and crises can聽suffer from psychological trauma, toxic stress and poor brain development unless their needs are prioritised in humanitarian response plans.

“In all types of emergencies, babies and young children are especially vulnerable, with the highest rates of illness and death of any age group,” says a new聽briefing published by 国产视频.

“Early childhood programmes can be lifesaving for the youngest children and are vital to ensuring children not only survive聽but have the best start for a good future.”

Toxic stress聽– which can be caused by prolonged exposure to hardship, neglect or聽violence – can聽inhibit the healthy development of a child’s聽brain, hamper their聽future learning聽and聽increase the risk of聽long-term health and behaviour problems.

Safe spaces can include preschool programmes. But with the聽Lake Chad region now home to聽a quarter of the聽world’s out-of-school population,聽older children desperate for education have been moving into those schools.

The charity聽Save The Children聽said more than half of the 700 children at one pre-school programme in Nigeria’s Borno State are six or older – with many of them teenagers up to the age of 15.

Education has been decimated in the area. About 1200 schools have been damaged or destroyed by Boko Haram while聽more than 600 teachers have been聽killed and 19,000 displaced.

“This desperate quest for education reflects the hunger of children for knowledge that is not being met, which is heartbreaking” said Ben Foot, Save the Children国产视频檚 Country Director in Nigeria.

国产视频淭he consequences (of Boko Haram)聽have been record lows in enrolment, terrible literacy rates and arguably the worst education crisis in the world. We cannot stand by as an entire generation of children loses its right to go to school.国产视频�

Abu Bakar is a displaced parent who now volunteers as a teacher at early childhood care classes in Madinatu host community.

He said:聽国产视频淚 have some children in my class who are older than five or six so I have changed the way I teach.

国产视频淎 lot of people are becoming aware of the need for education. Some of the children who come here have never been to school. So it makes a difference to the children and for some of them it is the only opportunity they will get to learn.”

Unless urgent action is taken, huge numbers of聽out-of-school聽children in the region will be at risk of abuse and exploitation, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

It said aid last year helped 300,000 children resume education and treated another 300,000 under-fives for malnutrition.

At today’s conference,聽Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende said: “This has helped raising awareness and increased support for millions of people affected by this crisis –聽not least for the many children and young people who are currently out of school.

“It is crucial to provide and protect education to safeguard their rights and pave the way for a peaceful development in the region.”