How natural disasters in Asia Pacific have left hundreds of thousands out of school

A boy听swims in floodwaters at Kyaut Ye village in Myanmar

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By Alisa Tang (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

From earthquakes in Nepal to flooding in Myanmar, disasters damage or destroy thousands of schools 国产视频� leaving hundreds of thousands of children unable to go to class. But education is often overlooked in humanitarian responses.

Deadly earthquakes in Nepal last year damaged or destroyed听more than 8200 schools, leaving 870,000 children without听classrooms.

Nearly a year on, many children were still taking lessons in听makeshift facilities without walls, exposed to cold winter听weather, Save the Children said in a report on lost education听due to disasters in the Asia Pacific.

Part of the problem is that less than 2% of听humanitarian aid is earmarked for education, leading to delays听in the reconstruction and repair of damaged schools, the global听aid agency said.

国产视频淩egardless of the size of the disaster 国产视频� it doesn国产视频檛 matter听if it国产视频檚 small or big 国产视频� education is disrupted, and students国产视频櫶齦ives are impacted,国产视频� said Sarah Ireland, the author of the听report, by telephone from Melbourne.

A child walks along a Nepalese street destroyed by the earthquake Picture: A World at School/Claire Wilkinson

The report, to be launched tomorrow, details the impact on听schoolchildren of five disasters in 2015, including flooding in听Myanmar that put 4100 schools out of action, leaving 250,000听children in limbo for several months.

国产视频淓ducation needs to be prioritised as part of a holistic听response,国产视频� said Ireland, the humanitarian advocacy and policy听adviser for Save the Children.

Education Cannot Wait fund aims to help 13 million children hit by disasters and wars

国产视频淚f education is supported before, during, and after听disasters, it can save lives, protect children and benefit whole听communities and countries.国产视频�

For example, many children attend schools that are not built听to withstand the impact of natural disasters, Ireland said.

Primary school children wear masks while walking home from school in Karo district, North Sumatra province, after the eruption of Mount Sinabung in May

国产视频淚f you consider how much time a child spends in schools, if听a disaster hits, like an earthquake or a flood, that school is听likely to cause injury or loss of life,国产视频� she said. 国产视频淲e need to听ensure the school is a safe place for children to go.国产视频�

Schools that are still standing often play an important听role in the humanitarian response to a disaster, serving as a听community hub where disaster-hit families can access healthcare,听clean water and food in safety.

国产视频淚f children are in a school 国产视频� their parents can actually听go about their business rebuilding their lives, knowing their听children are in a safe place and that their children will be听less vulnerable to trafficking, abuse or exploitation,国产视频� Ireland听said.

Save the Children国产视频檚 report 国产视频� titled Education Disrupted 国产视频� will be launched in Bangkok on the sidelines of a United Nations听conference on disaster risk reduction.

Ireland said the report aims to provide information that听will help improve future data collection and thereby improve听post-disaster support and response.

Cyclone damage to a school in Vanuata听Picture: OCHA

Here are some key facts and figures from Save the Children国产视频檚 report Education Disrupted.

INDONESIA

Between January and August 2015, Indonesia experienced听1160 disasters, including drought, forest fires, volcanic听eruptions, landslides and floods

Also during that period, there were 373 floods, affecting听607,000 people, according to the United Nations Office for the听Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Rains in January 2015 submerged roads in Jakarta and more听downpours in February caused further flooding. It affected 351 schools in northern Jakarta.听Inaccessible and submerged, some were closed for up to two听weeks.

VANUATU

The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu is home to about听250,000 people, with 64% of the population exposed to听natural hazards each year, including storms, floods, volcanic听eruptions and earthquakes.

Cyclone Pam, a category five storm in March 2015, triggered听floods that destroyed infrastructure, homes and livelihoods,听affecting 80% of Vanuatu国产视频檚 people and leaving half the听population in need of emergency assistance.

More than half of schools were damaged or destroyed and听34,500 children were affected. Schools were closed for up to 30 days and 34 schools were听used as evacuation centres.

NEPAL

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25, 2015, followed by听a 7.3 magnitude quake on May 12, killed 8900 people,听destroyed 605,000 homes and damaged 288,000 more.

About 3.2 million children were affected by the quakes听and of those 870,000 were left without permanent classrooms.

More than 8200 public primary and secondary schools were听damaged in the quakes. Almost 52,200 classrooms were damaged or destroyed.

MYANMAR

In June 2015, seasonal rains triggered heavy flooding in听parts of Myanmar.

At the end of July, Cyclone Komen brought heavy rains and听strong winds, resulting in severe, widespread flooding that听affected more than nine million people across 12 of the country国产视频檚听14 states and regions.

From June to October, the floods displaced about 1.7听million people and damaged 4116 schools. About 250,000 children could not attend school because of听the floods.

PHILIPPINES

In 2015, 14 typhoons and tropical storms hit the听Philippines.

Between 2007 and 2011, 10.8 million students in the听Philippines were impacted by disasters and 8472 schools were听used as evacuation centres.

Typhoon Koppu, a category three storm in mid-October, hit听Central Luzon, north of Manila, causing widespread floods and听landslides.

The typhoon displaced one million people and damaged 803听schools, which were closed an average of two weeks, while 138听schools were used as evacuation centres.

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