August 31, 2017

South Asia floods kill 1,200 and shut 1.8 million children out of school

""Hundreds dead in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, while millions have been forced from their homes and 18,000 schools shut down across the region."":https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/30/mumbai-paralysed-by-floods-as-india-and-region-hit-by-worst-monsoon-rains-in-years

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Photograph: Shailesh Andrade

"Heavy monsoon rains have brought Mumbai to a halt for a second day as the worst floods to strike south Asia in years continued to exact a deadly toll.

The devastating floods have also destroyed or damaged 18,000 schools, meaning that about 1.8 million children cannot go to classes, Save the Children warned on Thursday.

The charity said that hundreds of thousands of children could fall permanently out of the school system if education was not prioritised in relief efforts.

“We haven’t seen flooding on this scale in years and it’s putting the long-term education of an enormous number of children at great risk. From our experience, the importance of education is often under-valued in humanitarian crises and we simply cannot let this happen again. We cannot go backwards,” said Rafay Hussain, Save the Children’s general manager in Bihar state."

Real Medicine Foundation is actively involved with those affected by this flooding. RMF is working with community members in Rautahat District, NGO BHORE, and the local government to ensure timely and relevant provision of flood relief to families most in need. We are assembling and distributing flood relief packages, and we will continue to adapt our strategy and services to best meet the needs of the affected population. Read more about the Nepal Flood Relief initiative.

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