News

As floods and landslides have hit Nepal over the past five days, the death toll has reached 123 dead and at least 35 people are missing. The southern part of the country is the most affected. Thousands of houses have been inundated across the Terai province; 80% of the arable land has been destroyed. 600,000 people are affected by the worst floods in 15 years in Nepal. Handicap International’s (HI) local teams are evaluating how we can help.

Ninety-eight percent of recorded victims of cluster munitions are civilians, according to the Cluster Munition Monitor 2017, an annual report co-produced by Handicap International. These weapons kill, injure, maim, and cause serious psychological trauma. Up to 40% of submunitions do not explode on impact. They render whole areas uninhabitable, prevent the return of normal social and economic life, and displace people from their homes. These explosive remnants pose a threat to civilians, sometimes for decades after a conflict has ended.

As floods and landslides have hit Nepal over the past five days, the death toll has reached 123 dead and at least 35 people are missing. The southern part of the country is the most affected. Thousands of houses have been inundated across the Terai province; 80% of the arable land has been destroyed. 600,000 people are affected by the worst floods in 15 years in Nepal. Handicap International’s local teams are evaluating how we can help.

Eight-year-old Channa’s face lights up and then breaks into grin, revealing the playful little girl inside. But between bouts of laughter, a more serious Channa all too easily takes her place. And no wonder: born with one leg, this little girl’s life has not been all fun and games.

Floods and landslides killed more than 300 people on Monday 14 August in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, following heavy rain across the country. Some 3,000 people have been made homeless. Handicap International is providing support to the most vulnerable individuals.

Since the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan in 2013, Uganda has offered a place of safety to people fleeing from the conflict. On the 15^th of August, the Government of Uganda and the UN Refugee Agency announced that the staggering threshold of 1 million South Sudanese refugees has now been reached. Handicap International (HI) will launch activities to support new arrivals in Uganda this September.

The Brazilian football player Neymar Jr. became the new ambassador of the charity Handicap International today. An event was organised in Place des Nations in Geneva on this occasion. Through this partnership, Neymar is using his huge fame for a good cause: to support the most vulnerable people in the world, people with disabilities in poor countries, victims of conflicts and natural disasters.

The Oslo Convention banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions entered into force seven years ago, on 1 August 2010. Despite the undeniable success of the convention, which has been signed by 119 countries, cluster munitions are still used intensively and repeatedly in Yemen and Syria.

The refugee crisis in South Sudan is one of the most alarming humanitarian situations in the world. Millions of South Sudanese are fleeing from brutal violence and extensive food insecurity. 86% of those who seek safety in neighbouring countries are women and children, including at least 75,000 children who have become separated from their families, many of whom are in poor health.

In crisis situations, children with disabilities are often excluded from humanitarian assistance. Handicap International (HI) and UNICEF are working together to confront this problem. A toolkit of expert technical guidance has been launched to help all humanitarian actors improve their response.

Handicap International (HI) has launched demining activities in the department of Cauca, in Colombia, the second most affected country after Afghanistan.

Amira is 11 years old. In March 2017, she was injured in a bomb attack in Mosul, and has suffered from a broken leg ever since. She lives with her family in Hasansham camp for displaced people, where Handicap International (HI) is providing her with rehabilitation care.

Salah was hit by schrapnel during a bombing in Mosul, last March. His eight year old daughter died the same day. Salah now lives with the rest of his family in a displaced people’s camp, where he receives regular visits from Handicap International (HI).

In April 2017, Raneen was injured in a bomb attack in Mosul. The leg fracture she sustained has still not healed. She is currently being treated in Hamdaniya hospital, where Handicap International (HI) is providing her with physiotherapy sessions.