Statements

New York, NY — On October 4, Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 hurricane, hit Haiti’s Southern Peninsula. An estimated 1.4 million people have been affected, with 750,000 in need of urgent assistance (OCHA), including 315,000 children.

New York, NY, September 21, 2016 — ChildFund Alliance today launched “Toward a Safe World for Children: Child-Friendly Accountability and SDG Target 16.2,” an initiative that will work with and empower children to hold governments and local leaders accountable to their obligations to end all violence against children, as per Social Development Goal (SDG) Target 16.2.

New York, NY, September 15, 2016 — ChildFund Alliance today released “Toward a Safe World for Children: Five-Year Strategic Plan 2016-2021,” which will serve as a guide for the Alliance’s members, employees, board and stakeholders as it embarks on its next phase of membership growth and expansion into new areas.

It’s estimated that over 125 million women and girls in Africa and the Middle East have undergone some form of female genital mutilation or excision (source Unicef).

In Ethiopia, 74% of women ages 15-49 have undergone some form of FGM and close to 25% of girls under the age of 14 are subjected to the harmful practice.

Educo held a press conference today to present its latest campaign to protect children from violence, during which it unveiled the organization’s new Child Protection Kit. The kit aims to prepare parents so that they can prevent cases of violence against children, whether these be bullying, sexual abuse or cyber harassment.

ChildFund Australia has issued a press release calling on the Australian government to immediately transfer children and their families from immigration detention on Nauru, where there are shocking reports of abuse, to community arrangements in Australia:

ChildFund Alliance is supporting children and families on their way to Europe from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Next to the border controls in Macedonia and Serbia, contemporary aid stations have been constructed where people can stop to receive medical support, warm clothes and food. In cooperation with Terre des Hommes, ChildFund is supporting a local partner, providing children and families with friendly spaces and psychosocial support. In the child friendly spaces children can play and parents can change their babies’ diapers and receive counselling in both practical matters, and how they can protect their children from danger such as getting lost along the road.

Drought has struck East Africa and an estimated 8.2 million children and families in Ethiopia are suffering from a food shortage that is escalating by the day.

After two seasons of poor rains, crop growth has stalled, seeds are not germinating, vegetation is drying up and livestock are dying.

As winter approaches and the European refugee crisis continues, ChildFund Alliance is supporting a Swiss children’s aid organization, Terre des Hommes-Lausanne, to provide respite to families on the run. Many people escaping violence in Syria and other countries come through the Serbia-Croatia border, TDH has set up tents where families can rest.

Over the past few months, several European Council as well as Justice and Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Council meetings have been convened to discuss and develop immediate responses and policies to address the recent increase in migrants and refugees arriving to Europe.