Devastating floods in Nepal's Dhading, Rasuwa, and Nuwakot districts in August killed more than 1,400 people and left at least 5,000 missing. Children are among the most affected: over 500 children have lost their parents, who are either dead or missing.
Nine-year-old Ram Thakur was fleeing with his mother when she shouted, "Climb up faster, don't look behind." But when he looked back, she was gone. Ram now lives in a temporary shelter in a school in Nuwakot with 26 other children. His father is also missing. Ram still waits for his parents, but under Nepali law, a person must be missing for 12 years before being declared dead. During disasters, this can be expedited, but relatives must apply to a district court.
A post-flood assessment by Nepal's National Child Rights Council and Save the Children found over 1,000 children in temporary shelters, including more than 100 unaccompanied and 439 without parents but with other relatives. UNICEF says over 32,000 children were displaced. So far, only 18 children have been reunited with their parents.
At another shelter in Dhading, four-year-old Shibani Tama has stopped speaking after both her parents were confirmed dead. She refuses to let anyone comb her hair or change her clothes. Many children are in dire need of psychosocial help. Ten-year-old Sanju Lama is caring for her two-year-old brother; their parents are missing. They are each other's only support.
According to UNICEF, 18 schools have been destroyed and 20 damaged. An estimated 10,000 school-age children face an uncertain educational future. Volunteers have distributed toys and study materials, but many children remain withdrawn and unwilling to play. Some children have been seen "making and setting up families with parents in the dollhouses."
In the worst-hit Rasuwa district, children remain at risk. Authorities and nonprofits are cautious about handing children over to relatives due to risks of trafficking or child labor. Ram Thakur sits on the porch each evening, hoping for a helicopter to bring his parents back. But darkness comes, and no chopper arrives.
Source: www.aljazeera.com