Nepal floods: children lose their homes, stability and sense of safety

A home swept away by floodwaters. A school that can no longer be reached. A family suddenly forced to sleep in an overcrowded classroom. For children affected by the floods in Nepal, it is not only their homes that have disappeared. Much of what gave them a sense of safety and stability has suddenly been lost too. Right now, they need protection and support.

“After the disaster, everything around us changed,” says 14-year-old Shyam* from Rasuwa district. “We could no longer stay in our home. I was scared because I didn’t know when things would return to normal.”

Many children in the affected areas are living with the same uncertainty. Families have been forced to leave their homes, schools and roads have been damaged, and essential services are no longer accessible. Children have lost their daily routines and may be cut off from the people and places they would normally turn to for help.

A disaster can therefore take away far more than homes and possessions. The protective environment surrounding a child can disappear in an instant.

Children struggling to sleep for nights on end

Pramila Manandhar, Communications Manager at our local partner organisation CWIN Nepal, saw first-hand how the disaster was affecting children. Together with a team, she visited a temporary shelter for families who had been forced to leave their homes.

“Some children told us they had barely been able to sleep for several nights. Babies and young children cried for much of the night, while the older children became increasingly tired and restless,” says Pramila.

When Pramila spoke with the mothers, it became clear just how much their daily lives had changed. Even something as ordinary as preparing food for their children had suddenly become difficult. The families were unable to cook for themselves and depended on meals distributed at the shelter. These meals were intended for adults and were often too spicy or unfamiliar for babies and young children.

CWIN therefore provided baby formula and lito, a nutritious Nepali porridge made from roasted grains and pulses. But food alone was not enough. Staff also provided psychosocial support to the mothers, listened to their concerns and helped them restore small, familiar routines. This enabled them to prepare food for their children themselves, comfort them and bring some structure back into their days.

These may seem like small things, but when a disaster has taken away so much certainty, familiar routines can give parents and children a renewed sense of calm, stability and safety.

“Three days later, children told us they were sleeping better again,” says Pramila.

After several sleepless nights, a peaceful night’s sleep is far from something to be taken for granted for a child living through a disaster.

“I no longer have a home. Where are we supposed to go?”

At another temporary shelter, Pramila met a young mother with two small children. A classroom had been converted into a temporary sleeping area. Beds were lined up close together. Families who, only a short time before, had their own homes and daily routines were now sharing the same space, with no idea when they would be able to leave.

The young mother’s rented home had been completely washed away.

Pramila recalls: “I asked her what had been the most difficult thing for her since the disaster. Her answer was simple: ‘I no longer have a home. Where are we supposed to go?’”

Her two young children were also ill.

“When I asked what kind of support she needed, she found it difficult to answer. That stayed with me. She was caring for two small children while dealing with the loss of her home, uncertainty about what the future would bring, and the challenges of living in a crowded and unfamiliar environment.”

But there was another concern. There was barely any privacy in the shared sleeping area, with many unfamiliar families staying close together. For women and children, such conditions can create additional safety risks.

CWIN provided the mother with psychosocial support and raised the issue with the local authorities. A separate accommodation area for women and children was subsequently set up, and additional female security staff were brought in.

“Sometimes protection starts with listening carefully to one person’s concerns and then changing the environment so that others can feel safer too,” says Pramila.

A disaster can take away protection too

For children, the impact of a disaster does not end when the floodwaters recede.

Their home is gone. Their school is inaccessible. They have to sleep somewhere unfamiliar. Trusted people and daily routines disappear. And the very people and services that would normally recognise when a child needs help may themselves be under pressure because of the disaster.

That is why child protection is an essential part of the response after a disaster.

Together with CWIN, we reach out to children and families in the affected areas. Our teams listen to their concerns, provide psychosocial support, identify children who need additional protection, and help families reconnect with the people and services they would normally rely on.

As Pramila puts it: “A disaster can completely change a child’s world within minutes. Helping restore the people and systems that protect children is an important part of their recovery.”