Lifesaving mine risk education for children with disabilities in Aleppo
UNICEF-trained volunteers offer awareness-raising sessions in sign language
Aleppo, Syria, 4 April 2020- Following respite in violence across Aleppo, children and their families started returning to their homes in war-ravaged neighbourhoods where explosive hazards are prevalent. Children with disability are especially vulnerable to these risks.
“Children with hearing difficulties cannot hear sounds of explosions, for example, making them less aware of the risks around them,” says Nourhan Mahjoub, UNICEF Child Protection Officer in Aleppo, Syria.
“The same goes for children with speech difficulties who are unable to report explosive hazards they might come across,” she continues.
To help protect children with hearing and speech difficulties against explosive hazards, and as part of its mine risk education programme, UNICEF held trainings for volunteers to administer awareness-raising sessions using sign language. Thanks to generous contributions from Canada, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), UNICEF reached over 1,400 children with disabilities with the lifesaving sessions since the beginning of 2019.