Arothi must now raise her 6 children alone

6 February 2012: Arothi returned from the bush on Friday. She, along with her 6 children, had been hiding there for almost 2 days after her husband was killed by cattle-rustlers – mostly armed youths from the Lou Nuer tribe.

She is among scores of women who have been widowed in the violent clashes between Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in Jonglei state, South Sudan.

The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis where thousands are struggling for food and have no safe drinking water or shelter.

Harrowing tales

The survivors are recounting harrowing tales of suffering.  “On the fateful night, we heard the Lou Nuer attackers were coming to take our cattle away.  We took refuge in the bush along with our cattle. My children and I hid in the thicket as my husband drove the cattle,” said Arothi.

“Soon we heard some gun shots and I knew that they were shooting at the men. My husband was among those who were shot dead but I had no idea that he had been killed. We saw the attackers returning with the cows, but we remained under the cover of shrubs.”

Arothi, in her 40s, is now relying on the relief food items supplied by Plan, hoping that it will keep her and her children alive. “I managed to come to Gumuruk with only 3 of my 6 children because the rest were sick and had to remain in the bush. My children need food before they die of hunger. I am really concerned about their sickness,” she said.

First to respond

Plan is one of the first international organisations to respond to the crisis. In partnership with the World Food Programme, Plan is distributing cereals, beans and other food items to the homeless - mostly women and children.

So far Plan has reached 50,000 people. Preparations are also underway to deliver water and hygiene kits as well as fishing tools to 5,000 households, and seeds to 1,000 households.

Keeping children safe

Plan is trying to reach as many at-risk people as possible, especially children. “In addition to the physical needs like water and food, providing emotional first aid for young people is a key requirement,” said Fikru Abebe, Plan’s country director in South Sudan.

“We are also implementing programmes to keep children safe and help them continue their education during this time of upheaval,” he added.

Find out more about Plan's work in South Sudan

Watch Unni's video report from South Sudan

2 February 2012: The evidence is on the ground. Dark patches of burnt ash and half burnt wooden stumps is all that is left in this village.

There are thousands of people, many of them women and children, anxiously waiting in the hot sun for the relief food.

Violent conflicts between different ethnic communities in Likuangole and other villages in the Jonglei state of South Sudan, have left an unconfirmed number of people dead and about 120,000 internally displaced people in desperate need of life-saving assistance. These numbers have been increasing rapidly with fresh reports of violence.

While the UN is still estimating the number of people dead, a wire agency quoted local authorities as saying the conflict has killed ‘as many as 2,000 people’.

Revenge attacks

This history of cattle raids and revenge attacks in the region goes back decades, and is now one of the greatest challenges to stability in the newly independent state. A legacy of mistrust with Khartoum and deepening disputes over oil revenues are adding to the current increased state of insecurity.

In Jonglei, what started as inter-ethnic violence over cattle ownership - a source of livelihood and honour for locals - has now reached a flashpoint.

I met several survivors at a food distribution centre set up by Plan in Likuangole. Mothers expressed fears about the escalation of violence and what might happen to them and their children.

Reduced to ashes

“We lost everything,” said a mother. She looked exhausted and frightened. She had been hiding in the bushes with no food and water. When the mobs came marching to Likuangole on 30 December, they spared nothing. All standing structures were reduced to ashes including the local primary school.

Plan is currently distributing relief food to the conflict affected communities in Pibor - the only life-line for over 54,500 people. Joining hands with the World Food Programme, Plan is expected to reach out to over 70,000 in the coming months.

This is a neglected disaster. Friends in US and Europe express surprise that they have not seen anything in the news. Want to look up Pibor on the map? Not easy! If you were to walk into a book store in London or New York, there is every chance that you won’t find a map of South Sudan.

Gaining access to the worst affected areas in Pibor is a big challenge. From Juba, the capital, we took 2 helicopters and several hours (spread over 2 days) to reach Pibor. There are other challenges for delivering aid here. The average day temperature soars to 40°C. There is no running water, electricity is rationed, no internet and very poor mobile connectivity.

Safety first

In Gumuruk, I met 11-year-old Paul wearing a half-torn T shirt with Chelsea footballer Drogba’s photo on it. Paul and his friend Gabriel are both Drogba fans and want to become football players when they grow up. Their eyes light up when they speak about football and Drogba. 

But Gabriel told me he has stopped playing football - perhaps the only entertainment he and his friends had. They used to play on the unlevelled, muddy air strip which is just 200 metres away from the village. These days, rumours are rife about retaliation and revenge. Gabriel and his friends do not want to get caught up in clashes if the mob returns. Safety first, football can wait.

Child trauma

Violence has a lasting traumatising effect on children as they suffer both as victims and as witnesses. In many violent conflicts, many children are recruited to militias and often become perpetuators of violence in future. Last week, Juba Monitor, a weekly newspaper in the capital, carried photographs of children aged around 12, heavily armed.

Here in Jonglei, children are desperately in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance. Secondly they need protection, support to continue education. Thirdly they need support to heal the emotional impacts of this violence. Most importantly, they need assurance that the violence will be stopped and peace returned.

We have a collective responsibility to help ensure that South Sudan’s children grow up in peace and good health and education.

Putting children and peace at the centre is key to making that happen.

Find out more about Plan's work in South Sudan

Aodhán (back left) with the other boat crew members

1 February 2012: A Plan supporter who was trying to row across the Atlantic in record time to promote Plan’s global Because I am a Girl campaign has been forced to abandon the attempt after his boat capsized.

Aodhán Kelly, a 26-year-old from Reading, UK, was part of a 6-man crew, aiming to be the first to row across the Atlantic in less than 30 days.

Courageous campaigner

“Everyone at Plan is really sad to hear that the courageous sailors on board the Sara G were unable to complete their attempt to row across the Atlantic in less than 30 days," says Kevin Machin, Community Fundraising Manager at Plan UK.

“We wish Aodhán and the team the very best. We are glad to hear he and the rest of the crew are safe.”

Lucky rescue

The crew were 27 days into their journey from Morocco to Barbados when the boat overturned, 520 miles from their destination.

They were picked up by a cargo ship after more than 14 hours in a rescue raft and are due to arrive in Gibraltar on 9 February.

Before he started his world record attempt Aodhán told us about his fears for the trip. “I have had my ups and downs with nerves and anxiety about this.  We need to be prepared for the worst case scenarios, but there is no point dwelling on them,” he said.

Read Aodhán’s latest updates and leave a comment via his blog site*

See what you can do to support Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign to fight gender inequality and promote girls’ rights

* Plan is not responsible for the content on external websites.

Only it's not the same old story. For this is not the Horn of Africa food crisis currently afflicting Somalia and its neighbours. Instead, gradually and quietly unfolding on the other side of the continent, is a scenario with some of the same hallmarks.

Niger rarely makes the news, in Anglophone media at least. Unless, that is, there's a relative of Gaddafi in town. Ranked 186th out of 187 countries in the human development index, this forgotten corner of the world has been facing drought and the spectre of famine for years on end yet seems unable to garner those precious column inches that would help mobilise wider international action.

Famine fatigue

A family collecting leaves for food in the 2010 drought - for some it was all they had to eat

Famine fatigue. Two words that should never go together but then there's only so much misery and suffering that most of us can take. But try telling that to the people of Niger. Or to any of the other countries in the Sahel whose populations are heading for a struggle to feed their families and wondering why them, why again.

A full-blown famine is not yet upon us. Semantically speaking a famine, according to the UN, is where 20% of the population has fewer than 2,100 kilocalories of food available per day; where acute malnutrition rates exceed 30%; and where 2 deaths per day in every 10,000 people - or 4 deaths per day in every 10,000 children - are being caused by lack of food.

Sitting in the Plan office in Niamey though, I sometimes have to ask myself if linguistic nuances aren't getting in the way of an urgent imperative to save lives.

Malnourished children

There are currently over 280,000 children undergoing treatment in Niger for severe malnourishment; 20% will probably die despite medical intervention. As many as 6,000,000 people in some 7,000 villages are thought likely to be at risk of food insecurity. But will this be enough to make the world's media sit up and take notice of what is technically not a famine?

Will we be able to persuade donors who have already been extremely generous to aid agencies working in the Horn of Africa that the Sahel too is in need of some serious TLC this year?

And maybe part of the problem, the root of the ennui if you like, is that the issue here is almost cyclical. Every 2 or so years drought and failed harvests combine to rear their ugly head. The good news is that governments in the region and humanitarian agencies are pulling together, taking on board some of the lessons learned from earlier crises in a bid for greater coordination ahead of the long hard hungry months ahead. 

Rapid response need

Long-term solutions are being explored - in a recent publication Escaping the Hunger Cycle: Pathways to Resilience in the Sahel* produced by agencies working in the region including Plan, the conclusion was drawn that more effective early warning indicators and rapid response mechanisms are required in order to prevent the immense damage to livelihoods and the loss of assets by vulnerable households that a serious food crisis causes.

The fact remains though that we need to talk about famine. Perhaps not in the technical UN-defined sense of the word. But in the dictionary sense of the word: extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area. With so many lives potentially at stake, now is not the time to dodge the issue.

Find out more about Plan's work in Niger

* Plan is not responsible for the content on external websites

The UNHCR and Crossroads have been coming to Davos for 4 years now to create the Refugee Run* - a simulation exercise where the participants, drawn from the thousands of WEF delegates, get the opportunity first hand to encounter some of the struggles and choices refugees and internally displaced persons face for their survival.

Strife and terror

In moments I am precipitated from the comfort of the pre-briefing in a well lit room with my normal identity to a dark, noisy simulation of a border crossing clutching my temporary ID papers.

I become Azeem, an 18-year-old student, caught up in the strife and terror brought about by ethnic violence.  Luckily, unlike some of the rest of the group, I am not injured or separated from my family - according to my new papers. Torches are flashed in my eyes. Bribes are asked for - my wedding ring is too tight to remove, so my watch disappears into the soldier’s pocket.

I am now in the camp. Life is very difficult: little food and water unless the seller is bribed, intimidating noise and a feeling of powerlessness. We are herded around as day becomes night and back again with alarming speed. We walk through flashing lights representing landmines.

Reality check

There are oases of kindness - a school room for basic lessons, some healthcare for the injured - but the prevailing mood is harsh and bleak. Luckily for us, this is only a simulation and lasts 30 minutes. In the real world, living in conditions like these can become a way of life and of course with real guns, starvation, death and illnesses. 

I was told that people react in different ways. High powered executives find it very hard to adapt to the loss of power and control. Some start shouting at the soldiers, which results in detention. It is all a far cry from the day job.   

Moving experience

Afterwards, in the de-brief, we hear from some of the actor-soldiers - men who fled for their lives in Northern Uganda, and Zimbabwe, and stayed in camps like the one in the simulation for years.

The Refugee Run was a very moving experience. Some of our group were in tears at the end. It has been reported that fewer senior executives than normal had been this year, their minds on the future of the euro, and fears of a downturn in the world economy. I suspect an hour spent on the Refugee Run would put all that into perspective.

See Nigel at the event on Yahoo news* photo of the day

*Plan is not responsible for the content on external websites

I had the privilege of hearing one: Archbishop Desmond Tutu on child marriage.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, his smile and self deprecating humour lights up the venue - the UNWFP tent, which is in a local community hall.

Passionate plea

Tutu at 80 plus is as passionate about ending early child marriage as he was about combating apartheid. Now a grandfather many times over, he tells a spellbound audience of a conversation with his 15-year-old granddaughter who he realises could in other circumstances be married against her will.

Every year millions of children are married, sometimes as young as 8. In the hour and a half the luncheon takes (organised by The Elders and the UN's Every Woman Every Child campaign), 1,700 children will be forced into early marriage.

Childbirth deaths

Tutu - or the Arch as he is affectionately known - gently chides the UN Secretary General who is present at his table about the Millennium Development Goals. "What chance for these girls?", he says. Married too young they will often die in childbirth, have sickly premature babies who will never attend primary school, and are more likely to get HIV and AIDS.

And the advocates The Elders* assemble in their video - Tutu himself, Mozambican politician and humanitarian Graça Machel, and the former President of Ireland Mary Robinson - whilst acknowledging the social forces which sustain child marriage, never allow them to justify it.

Early marriage is a root cause of poverty issue and one we all have to keep in the public eye.

Join Plan's Because I am a Girl campaign to fight gender inequality and promote girls' rights

*Plan is not responsible for the content on external websites

Vital food aid leaving for South Sudan's Pibor County

24 January 2012: Plan is increasing its food relief distribution in strife-torn Jonglei state, South Sudan, to reach 50,000 people over the next 3 months.

The scaled up response comes as the UN doubled the number of people in urgent need of aid in the state from 60,000 to 120,000. 

Child focus

The additional relief supplies have been provided by the World Food Programme, enabling Plan to significantly increase its initial target of 14,000 people. 

“Our efforts are focused on meeting food needs of children and communities. Nearly 1,600 metric tons of food rations will be distributed by Plan to reach 50,000 affected people,” said Fikru Abebe, Plan’s country director in South Sudan.

Thousands displaced

The latest round of retaliatory fighting between Lou Nuer and Murle communities - two of Jonglei’s largest ethnic groups, has made the humanitarian situation worse. According to the UN, in 2011, more than 1,100 people lost their lives, and some 63,000 people were displaced by inter-communal violence in the state.

“The capacities of the aid agencies were already stretched before the fresh clashes. Children are particularly vulnerable in the escalating situation and their needs must be met as a priority,” said Mr Abebe.

Comprehensive response

Plan will roll-out a comprehensive aid response which will address issues such as emotional support and child protection in emergencies. 

“We are committed to continue expanding our relief to reach affected children as long as security prevails in Pibor and if UN agencies continue to fulfil their commitment to transport food from Juba to Pibor and Akobo,” said Mr Abebe. 

"We support the development of a long-term strategy to guarantee safety of children and the affected community.”

Plan is appealing for US$3,000,000 to support its relief work in South Sudan, including US$ 880,000 for relief food distribution in Pibor.

Find out more about  Plan’s work in South Sudan

Aodhán (front) is rowing across the Atlantic for our girls campaign

18 January 2012:  Plan supporter Aodhán Kelly is currently rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in a world record attempt to raise funds and awareness for Plan’s global Because I am a Girl campaign.

The 26-year-old Irishman, who lives in Reading, UK, is part of a 6-man team hoping to become the first rowing crew to cross the ocean by boat in less than 30 days.

Gruelling challenge

Already 2 weeks into their gruelling journey from the coast of Morocco to Barbados, former Irish national rowing team member Aodhán and the crew are tired, but in good spirits.

The crew in their boat preparing for the world record attempt

"My girlfriend Ilse thought it sounded great when it was just a pipe dream, although panic did set in initially when she realised I was actually going to go through with it,” says Aodhán.  

“But now she is fine about it and is very supportive. She is particularly happy because I am doing this for Plan International, a charity she used to volunteer for.”

Fighting gender inequality

Aodhán is hoping to raise thousands of pounds to support Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign to promote girls’ rights, fight gender inequality and lift millions out of poverty.

Find out more about the challenge and follow Aodhán’s daily updates from the boat via his blog site*.

Join Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign

* Plan is not responsible for the content on external websites.

Food aid

In mid December 2011, I visited Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, to find out how the returnees were adjusting to life. I attended a food distribution supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) at the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRC) compound. 96 households were waiting to receive a one-time supply of food aid - with the expectation that returnees would integrate into their communities and be self-sufficient after 1 month.

Clothing for food

James Jok, the SSRC’s Jonglei State Coordinator, told me that since food prices in the market have skyrocketed returnees are selling their belongings to buy food and medication. 

Ayen, 30, said the food she was collecting from the WFP would not last for 2 weeks with her 5 children. Her husband is not working and has almost sold all his clothing to buy food.

At the distribution site I also met Madol, 48, and his wife. Madol like the other returnees was happy about returning to his homeland, telling me that he now shares the same rights and privileges with me as a citizen of the Republic of South Sudan. He has come from Juba to collect the food aid for his family as they do not yet have anywhere to live in Jonglei.

Safe villages for resettlement

Land is a key issue affecting Madol and the other returnees. Madol and his family need a piece of land to start their new life. The Jonglei State government has allotted land for the returnees at Mathiang, a rural town about 100km north of Bor. Sadly, returnees are unwilling to relocate there due to the insecurity in that area. 

In December the area was afflicted by cattle raiding which resulted in deaths and left the residents in constant fear that their children could be abducted. Until the security can be improved the state returnees are generally unwilling to return to their villages and continue to crowd into Bor.

Manhan, a mother of 4, who was also waiting to get food for her family, told me that she was lucky to get accommodation near Bor in a tukul (grass thatched hut) belonging to relatives after returning from Khartoum. She felt that they are squashed like chickens in the limited space. She hopes that her family will soon be able to settle in their community.

Rebuilding communities

Plan South Sudan’s projects in Jonglei State include school lunch programming, borehole rehabilitation and Community-led Total Sanitation programmes to end open defecation.

After visiting some of the villages around Bor I hope that the returnees can soon safely integrate into their former villages so that they can earn a living, their children can attend school and they can fully begin their new lives. 

Read about Plan’s work in South Sudan

Children shelter under desks as part of their disaster training

16 January 2012: Disaster risk reduction training is helping the Dominican Republic learn from Haiti’s earthquake, reports Plan global press officer Davinder Kumar.

Besides Hispaniola itself - the second largest island in the Caribbean, Haiti and the Dominican Republic share one more thing in common - their seismic fault lines. The 2 nations have a long history of earthquakes in addition to their vulnerability to hurricanes and cyclones. 

As Haiti continues to make a slow recovery from the catastrophic earthquake that devastated the nation 2 years ago, its neighbour Dominican Republic is bracing itself to be better prepared for disasters.

Disaster concern

Beneath the surface of the tropical resort nation lie 2 major seismic faults, both of which are a cause of concern for disaster experts. The southern Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault crossing from Port-au-Prince into the southern Dominican Republic is believed to have caused the quake that razed much of the Haitian capital. The worry is the fault may still be active.

Unlike cyclones which are a regular seasonal occurrence, big earthquakes usually happen after long gaps sometimes skipping generations. This is why despite huge loss of human life - such as several thousands in Haiti 2 years ago, earthquakes gradually disappear from public memory with very little shared knowledge on how to react and save lives.

Vulnerable

Pupils swing into action during an earthquake drill

"We are focusing on seismic hazard precisely because very few people have life experience of dealing with it and that makes them more vulnerable as there is no one to tell them what to do," says Daniel Stothart, Plan’s national disaster management adviser in the Dominican Republic. 

Plan has been working in the Dominican Republic since 1987 and has been running disaster risk reduction programmes in different provinces of the country for over 4 years. Participation of the communities, especially children and young people is at the centre of Plan's approach.

Life-saving training

Children like 9-year-old Moises are being trained to save their own and lives of others during earthquakes. "I have never experienced an earthquake, neither has anyone of my friends or family members. But now I know what to do and how to react if it ever happens," he says. 

All students and teaching staff of Proyecto 2C school participate in regular drills facilitated by local Plan volunteers.

Besides training, the children are given easy-to-follow learning material, sometimes in innovative game formats, to take home and share with their families. 

"It is very important that both children and parents have disaster training. I know that children and young people in my school are better informed and prepared than many adults on how to react to disaster situations. What is even better is that they are teaching their families about it," says school Principal José Nicolas Diaz.

Find out more about Plan’s work in the Dominican Republic

Meet Efraín Calles - a former sponsored child from El Salvador whose life was turned around with help from Plan and his US sponsor. 

Now a teacher, Efraín recalls fondly the inspiring pictures and postcards he recieved from his sponsor, as he grew up in rural Chalatenango. 

Through Plan, his family were able to move from a mud hut to a safe building, while he and his siblings received school equipment and skills training.

"I still have this dream of meeting my former sponsor one day," says Efraín. "To tell her what I've achieved thanks to her support - and to show her that I'm now helping children who are in the same situation as I was."

Sponsor a child with Plan

Join Plan's 75th anniversary celebrations

More than 31,000 children have returned to school with Plan's help

11 January 2012: Two years after the devastating Haiti earthquake and thousands of children and their families are still receiving care and support from Plan, thanks to the vital support of our donors.

In the last 24 months Plan has:

• helped over 31,000 children return to school
• built 257 classrooms in Jacmel and Croix-des-Bouquets
• provided access to emotional support to over 14,000 people (12,000 being children)
• provided work for over 36,000 people to strengthen the economic coping capacity of families 
• supplied over 22,000 people with tents and basic living provisions in the direct aftermath of the earthquake
• reached more than 400,000 people in Plan’s emergency cholera response work.
  

Challenges

A girl dancing at a Plan-supported child development centre

Although much has been achieved following the disaster there is still much to do.  Some 500,000 people continue to live in temporary shelters - many of them children. 

“Haiti is a very young nation with around half of its population aged under 18. There are many vulnerable young people at risk if we allow this to become simply 2010’s forgotten crisis,” said Plan’s director in Haiti, John Chaloner.

“Many of them in the camps lack the most basic of resources, proper support and protection. This resilient young generation needs continued support in quality education and employment to give them real hope for the future and the opportunities they deserve.”

Future focus

Plan believes the government of Haiti must fulfil its responsibility and take leadership on shelter, healthcare, education and economic growth. But with the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere still struggling to rebuild, the challenge is major.

Plan’s work will now focus on 3 areas:

• safe, quality education and opportunities for young people
• full social participation for Haitian girls - this includes campaigns targeting education, gender based violence, youth pregnancy and work rights
• birth registration – to enable young people to participate and benefit from services such as education, as well as helping to reduce child trafficking and tackle child abuse.
  

Read our latest Haiti report to learn more about Plan’s achievements, challenges and priorites. 

Visit our Haiti recovery area to read more and support our response.

David is among thousands of children who have returned to school with Plan's help

January 2012: Meet David - one of thousands of children benefiting from new earthquake-proof classrooms and dreaming of a bright future, writes Plan Haiti’s John Walter Destine.

Since the installation of the semi-permanent classroom buildings, David’s school results have improved significantly. “I am amazed at David’s performance. He has come a long way since the semi-permanent school was built,” says his teacher Saint Surin Jean Jude. 

David, 10 years old, is the eldest of a family of 6 children living in an area near to Croix-des-Bouquets. 

Thanks to a generous donation from Plan Netherlands, his school received 4 semi-permanent classrooms after the 2010 earthquake, which devastated vast swathes of Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements. 

Safe buildings

The new classrooms, which are among 257 built by Plan since the disaster, are hurricane and earthquake-proof and may last up to 15 years.

“After the earthquake my school was completely collapsed and I was very worried about my future,” says David.  But now, inside the spacious classroom built by Plan, he says he has nothing to fear. 

“No earthquakes can worry me now and besides I have hopes for a bright future.”

Education boost

David’s teacher, Saint Surin, says a good learning environment positively influences the school results of a student. “The new classrooms have provided a comfortable learning environment for students like David and I have noticed the progress he has made as a result of this change.”

For David, the classrooms have provided welcome support. "In 9 years I will finish with my secondary school and I dream of becoming a famous doctor. I want to participate in the reconstruction of my country. That’s the reason why I work so hard at school in order to achieve my goal,” he says.

Plan has helped more than 31,000 children return to school by providing school kits, rebuilding classrooms, training teachers and supplying equipment for schools.

Read about Plan's achievements and priorities 2 years after the earthquake

Children are at the centre of Plan's emergency response

6 January 2011: Plan is supporting the basic needs of thousands of people affected by Typhoon Sendong (Washi) in the Mindanao Island of the Philippines.

The severe flooding and devastation caused by the tropical storm on 16 December last year left more than 1,200 dead and affected nearly 118,000 families. Over 80,000 families who fled the floods are still homeless.

Overwhelming need

Plan is responding to the needs of families in the worst-affected parts of Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Negros Oriental. We are aiming to reach nearly 150,000 affected people and have started distributing relief items including 10,000 hygiene kits, 10,000 water-purification kits, 15,000 mosquito nets and 20,000 traditional blankets.

“The need is overwhelming. We are working with local government, UN and other humanitarian actors to reach out to the most vulnerable groups," said Carin van der Hor, Plan’s country director in the Philippines.

Child focus response

Children continue to remain the main focus of Plan’s aid response. We have distributed and set up tents in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro for use as shelters and temporary learning spaces for children. These tents were provided as in-kind support from Irish Aid’s emergency stock warehouse in Malaysia and supplemented by funds from the Irish government’s emergency response funding scheme.

So far Plan has conducted 8 sessions with 537 children and 87 adults in Cagayan de Oro to address their emotional needs.

“Children living in displaced settings and separated from families are extremely vulnerable. Their health, protection, emotional care and education should be the main priority," said Dr Unni Krishnan, Plan’s disaster response policy coordinator.

Plan has been working in the Philippines since 1961 and runs a project along with UNICEF supporting children formerly associated with armed groups in parts of Mindanao. Even though Plan’s programme areas in Mindanao escaped the typhoon, we are responding to the overwhelming needs of thousands affected by the flood.

Plan is appealing to raise US$1,500,000 towards its initial response. We have so far mobilised nearly US$1,000,000 in confirmed and under-negotiation grants.

Find out more about Plan's work in the Philippines