BY EMMA STONEHOUSE Myanmar continues to be afflicted by long-standing conflict, with Unicef estimating that 460,000 children require humanitarian assistance due to war and natural disasters. However, in the midst of such a disheartening statistic, there is abounding hope. Children can often be a forgotten party in times of war, as many find themselves far …
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND It can seem on the surface that things in Syria are improving because the country is out of our mainstream news in the West. However, in fact, the situation remains very difficult and dangerous. In partnership with the Lebanon-based NGO, MERATH, we have been running three Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) inside Syria, …
Starting today, PCMN, our partner network in the Philippines, is holding three days of training for 60 volunteers to respond to the psycho-social and emotional needs of displaced children affected by the Marawi conflict. Around 360,000 people are displaced by fighting, which broke out in May between government forces and the ISIS-inspired Maute rebel group. …
BY LIZ CROSS Dany, his wife and their three daughters live in an unfinished building in a Syrian city that has been plagued by bombs and shelling since the start of the war. Their neighbourhood has sustained heavy bombardment, which has led to many tragic deaths and serious injuries among their friends and neighbours. Unsurprisingly, …
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND What does hope look like, and where can we find it? I’ve come to discover that hope emerges in the most unlikely of places – even in a dusty, dangerous refugee camp – and when it does it can change everything. After nearly six years of conflict, Syria’s children continue to face …
The stories in the news from Syria in recent weeks and months make difficult reading; it can be hard to know how to engage with a situation which seem so difficult and almost hopeless. It is in these most difficult circumstances that Viva is partnering with three teams of young leaders who are running ‘child …
Kezia M’Clelland, Viva’s Children in Emergencies Specialist, has just arrived in Lebanon to spend another three weeks supporting local partners on the ground, equipping them with knowledge and skills to keep Syrian refugee children safe. We’ve put together a diary of her key dates with the hope that you can use it to pray for …
Last month, Justine Demmer, Asia Network Consultant and Viva HK National Director, visited a new network in Myanmar, where a committed group of 20 organisations are working together to help children displaced by conflict to go home again. Here are Justine’s reflections.