Charity warns of rising health risks for children in flood-hit Indonesia

Key Concepts

• Cyclone Seroja: The specific extreme weather event that triggered widespread floods and landslides in Sumatra, Indonesia.
• Extreme Weather Induced Trauma: The unique and often more severe psychological and physiological impact of natural disasters on children compared to adults.
• Child Vulnerability in Disasters: The principle that children are disproportionately affected by emergencies, facing heightened risks to their physical, emotional, and developmental well-being.
• Long-term Consequences: The enduring negative effects of disasters on children, encompassing physical health, mental well-being, and educational attainment.
• Education Disruption: The cessation or severe interruption of schooling due to disaster, leading to risks like child labor, early marriage, and permanent learning losses.
• Health Risks in Emergency Settings: Increased prevalence of illnesses such as coughing, fever, flu, influenza, diarrhea, malaria, and dengue, exacerbated by overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, and contaminated water.
• Psychological Aid: Mental health and psychosocial support provided to help individuals, especially children, cope with trauma and stress.
• Child-Centered Approach: A humanitarian response methodology that prioritizes children's needs, listens to their perspectives, and involves them in the development of solutions.
• Coordination in Humanitarian Response: The collaborative efforts between humanitarian organizations, government bodies, and other stakeholders to deliver effective aid.
• Bupati: An Indonesian term referring to the head of a district-level administration.

Overview of the Disaster and its Impact The floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Seroja have severely impacted Sumatra, affecting over 3 million people, including a significant number of children. The disaster has resulted in more than 759 fatalities and approximately 650 people still missing, with the northern part of the island being the most affected. Tens of thousands of children have been displaced, losing their homes and daily routines overnight. Many are currently living in crowded shelters, facing immediate risks of illness and protection concerns.

Distinct Impact of Extreme Weather Trauma on Children Adessi Kane Ukar, CEO of Save the Children Indonesia, highlighted that extreme weather induced trauma is profoundly different and often more severe for children than for adults. Children are inherently the most vulnerable group in disasters, and the current situation in Sumatra is no exception, with impacts described as "even like severe than what impacted the adult." This trauma can leave children with permanent psychological and physiological scars, setting back their development for years.

Immediate and Long-Term Consequences for Children

• Health Risks: Children are already reporting symptoms like coughing and fever. The primary health concerns include the spread of flu, influenza, diarrhea, malaria, and dengue, exacerbated by overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, and limited access to clean water, leading to contaminated water sources. The mental state of children, facing significant stress, is also a major worry, necessitating psychological aid.
• Education Disruption: One of the most significant impacts is on education. The floods have damaged or closed hundreds of schools, with many school buildings now repurposed as evacuation shelters. As a result, tens of thousands of children are currently out of school, leading to an indefinite halt in their learning. Based on experiences from previous disasters, prolonged educational disruption significantly increases the risk of child labor, early marriage, and long-term learning losses. The urgency for children to return to school is immediate, as extended absence can be detrimental to their development, akin to the issues observed during the pandemic-induced school closures.

Save the Children's Response and Priorities Save the Children's efforts are multi-faceted, focusing on both immediate life-saving needs and long-term well-being:

1. Life-Saving Basic Needs: Providing urgent necessities to the affected population.
2. Health and Mental Well-being: Addressing physical health concerns and offering psychological aid to help children cope with trauma and stress.
3. Education Continuity: Despite the challenges, education remains a critical priority. Save the Children aims to establish temporary education shelters and ensure that children continue learning and are not left behind. The goal is to get children back to school as soon as possible, recognizing the immediate and critical need for educational continuity.
4. Child-Centered Approach: A core principle guiding all responses is that "children are in the center of it." This involves actively listening to children, understanding their specific needs, hearing their perspectives, and involving them in the development of solutions.

Collaboration and Coordination Efforts Save the Children is actively collaborating with numerous stakeholders, including the Indonesian government at both provincial and district levels (e.g., meeting with the bupati or district head). The organization emphasizes that coordination is essential, as they "cannot do it alone." The goal of these collaborations is to mobilize collective support and ensure that children's needs are prioritized in all emergency responses.

Conclusion The floods in Sumatra, triggered by Cyclone Seroja, have created a severe humanitarian crisis, with children bearing the brunt of the impact. They face heightened vulnerability, experiencing more profound trauma, significant health risks from poor living conditions, and critical disruptions to their education that threaten their long-term development. Save the Children, through a comprehensive and child-centered approach, is working to address immediate needs, provide psychological support, and ensure educational continuity. The organization stresses the urgent need for collaborative efforts among all stakeholders to prioritize children's well-being and facilitate their swift recovery and return to normalcy, emphasizing that "children are paying the highest price of crisis they did not create."