New emergency grants for Save the Children will support hard-hit communities

No matter what threatens children’s safety—from violence to natural disasters—Save the Children steps in to protect children and help them continue their educations. The IKEA Foundation has recently given Save the Children four emergency grants, totalling €530,000, to help children and families survive life-threatening situations and begin to look toward the future again.

Refugees in Uganda

Grant: €200,000

Uganda is hosting the largest population of refugees in Africa and has been receiving refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for decades. When fighting erupted again in DRC in early 2018, nearly 77,000 people fled to Uganda, exceeding the projected capacity of 60,000 for the whole of 2018. Over 60% of the refugees in Uganda are children who need immediate education, protection, health and nutrition services.

With support from the IKEA Foundation, Save the Children will support early-childhood care and development centres to ensure children are ready for primary schools, despite the disruption and trauma they have experienced. Children who went to school but have missed more than two terms will get an accelerated education program to help them catch up on missed classes and integrated into formal schools in Uganda.

Save the Children will also create child-friendly spaces and manage child protection so children can play and develop in a healthy way.

Fighting in South Sudan

Grant €100,000

Over 18,000 people were displaced and several children were abducted when fighting erupted between two groups over cattle raiding.

Most people settled at primary schools and the Presbyterian Church in Lankien for shelter while some are with relatives and friends. They arrived without food, property and livelihood assets. They are in dire need of food, shelter, water, health, nutrition and protection services.

Save the Children will help keep children safe, in appropriate care, protected from violence and exploitation. They will also help families access the services they need.

Tropical storm in Somaliland

Grant: €100,000

Tropical Storm Sagar made landfall the Somaliland coast on 19 May, killing people, crops and livestock, and destroying homes, schools, healthcare facilities and infrastructure. Many coastal areas have been cut off from main towns, and the storm also destroyed telecommunication towers in the affected areas.

Save the Children will rehabilitate several schools, including their classrooms and their water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. They will also provide furniture and learning materials.

Floods in Sri Lanka

Grant: €130,000

Heavy rains, high winds and landslides in Sri Lanka have disrupted lives and livelihoods. Blocked roads and damaged bridges have left some communities stranded. Children have lost clothes, educational materials, hygiene items and footwear. Several schools have been shut, disrupting children’s educations. As families evacuate into temporary shelters, children suffer a much higher risk of physical and sexual abuse.

Thanks to funding from the IKEA Foundation, Save the Children will give families unconditional cash transfers to support them in a way that maintains their dignity and allows them to make choices around their priorities for food, shelter, income recovery and replacement of household items.

Save the Children will also provide psycho-social support and create child-friendly spaces to protect children and help them begin to process the trauma they have experienced. And since the risk of dengue and other diseases increases during floods, Save the Children will promote good health and hygiene practices to displaced families. Finally, once schools are reopened, they will provide educational supplies.

Our partnership with Save the Children

When emergencies strike, Save the Children needs quick access to cash so they can send staff to hard-hit communities within 24 hours and run lifesaving programmes for children.

At the IKEA Foundation, we believe every child has the right to a safe place to call home and a quality education. That’s why we have a special to support Save the Children’s humanitarian work, so children are protected when they are most vulnerable and can still receive an education.