Childhood disability in Turkana, Kenya:Understanding how carers cope in a complex humanitarian setting

Background: Although the consequences of disability are magnified in humanitarian contexts, research into the difficulties of caring for children with a disability in such settings has received limited attention.Methods: Based on in-depth interviews with 31 families, key informants and focus group discussions in Turkana, Kenya, this article explores the lives of families caring for children with a range of impairments (hearing, vision, physical and intellectual) in a complex humanitarian context characterised by drought, flooding, armed conflict, poverty and historical marginalisation.Results: The challenging environmental and social conditions of Turkana magnified not only the impact of impairment on children, but also the burden of caregiving. The remoteness of Turkana, along with the paucity and fragmentation of health, rehabilitation and social services, posed major challenges and created opportunity costs for families. Disability-related stigma isolated mothers of children with disabilities, especially, increasing their burden of care and further limiting their access to services and humanitarian programmes. In a context where social systems are already stressed, the combination of these factors compounded the vulnerabilities faced by children with disabilities and their families.Conclusion: The needs of children with disabilities and their carers in Turkana are not being met by either community social support systems or humanitarian aid programmes. There is an urgent need to mainstream disability into Turkana services and programmes.</jats:p

The analytical framework of water and armed conflict: a focus on the 2006 Summer War between Israel and Lebanon

This paper develops an analytical framework to investigate the relationship between water and armed conflict, and applies it to the ‘Summer War’ of 2006 between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah). The framework broadens and deepens existing classifications by assessing the impact of acts of war as indiscriminate or targeted, and evaluating them in terms of international norms and law, in particular International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In the case at hand, the relationship is characterised by extensive damage in Lebanon to drinking water infrastructure and resources. This is seen as a clear violation of the letter and the spirit of IHL, while the partial destruction of more than 50 public water towers compromises water rights and national development goals. The absence of pre-war environmental baselines makes it difficult to gauge the impact on water resources, suggesting a role for those with first-hand knowledge of the hostilities to develop a more effective response before, during, and after armed conflict

Haiti: Humanitarian situation and cholera - Flash Update # 4 (As 17 October 2022)

According to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly one in two people in Haiti is now acutely food-insecure. Beyond the Ouest Department, where the majority of cholera cases are concentrated, the Centre, Artibonite and Nippes departments have also reported suspected cases. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has denounced the alarming increase in the use of sexual violence by armed gangs, especially in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Humanitarian partners are prioritizing air transport for the delivery of emergency equipment and supplies

Haiti: Humanitarian situation and cholera - Flash Update # 4 (As 17 October 2022)

According to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly one in two people in Haiti is now acutely food-insecure. Beyond the Ouest Department, where the majority of cholera cases are concentrated, the Centre, Artibonite and Nippes departments have also reported suspected cases. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has denounced the alarming increase in the use of sexual violence by armed gangs, especially in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Humanitarian partners are prioritizing air transport for the delivery of emergency equipment and supplies