CONCERNS...

cil, resulting in damage to homes, displacement, and disruption to essential water supplies and health services.

Electricity lines have also been cut and communication networks disrupted in several areas and the floods and landslides have damaged the infrastructure of some 43 schools, according to the Department of Education.

The disruption of water supplies and sanitation services exacerbates the situation, posing risks to public health, particularly in isolated areas of the region.

Save the Children Philippines has begun distributing essential items to affected families and children including children’s hygiene kits.

There are concerns, however, about the physical and mental well-being of children at this vulnerable time.

“It is imperative that we act together and work closely with the government to make sure the children and the families are provided the immediate help they need when disaster strikes. Children are the most vulnerable before, during, and after disasters. The multidimensional stress they experience from difficult situations during emergencies and calamities will take a toll on their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being,” Save the Children Philippines CEO Atty. Alberto Muyot said.

A 2023 research concluded that the Philippines is the most vulnerable country in the world to natural disasters. The archipelago has a disaster risk index of 46.86, followed by Indonesia (43.5).

In the Philippines, children born in 2020 would face 4.9 times more heatwaves, 2.3 times more floods, 1.2 times more droughts, and 1.5 times more crop failures than their grandparents or those born 60 years ago.

Save the Children Philippines works hard to give Filipino children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for and with children to positively transform their lives and the future we share