Children severely traumatised in Marawi - Armyworm invasion

Children severely traumatised in Marawi conflict. Armyworm invasion destroys 70% of crops in drought-stricken Kenya.
MARAWI CLASHES, PHILIPPINES: World Vision supports traumatised children, warning thousands are shell-shocked

As fighting enters its fourth week in the Philippines city of Marawi, World Vision has warned thousands of children have been left shell-shocked and traumatised. More than 280,000 people, including over 100,000 children, have been displaced by the conflict. Many now need psychological support after experiencing and witnessing alarming levels of violence.

World Vision is on the ground, providing psychological first aid to children affected by the crisis, and other emergency items such as hygiene kits, mosquito nets, blankets and learning kits so that displaced children can continue their schooling.

Ligaya Munez, World Vision's Programmes Manager in Mindanao, said they are setting up child-friendly spaces (CFS).

"We've been going around evacuation centres and we've seen the struggles of the displaced children. We hope that through our child friendly spaces we can somehow give a sense of normalcy to the children. Aside from the humid environment and being unable to go to school, some children are still in shock from the gunshots and loud explosions they heard in Marawi.”

The Child Friendly Spaces created by World Vision are designed to let children play and have the opportunity to interact with other children. It helps to provide an opportunity for children to express themselves through art, play and also to connect with other children facing similar distressing experiences.

World Vision has staff on the ground in Iligan City, 40km Northwest from Marawi.
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EAST AFRICA FAMINE “We are staring into the eyes of a disaster” - farmers in Kenya’s ‘bread basket’ region grapple with armyworm invasion that’s destroyed 70 per cent of crops

Amidst a severe hunger crisis affecting 2.7 million people, experts are warning that Kenya is likely to lose a total of 16 million bags of the country’s staple crop, maize, during this year’s harvest season due to an invasion of Fall Armyworm Caterpillars.

In North West Kenya – a region widely referred to as ‘the bread basket’ – World Vision reports that drought-affected communities are seeing their already depleted food crops dramatically reduced.

Bernard Owino, Livelihoods and Resilience Project Officer for World Vision Kenya in Nyatike country said: "Our assessments are pointing towards a very grim picture, with farmers already seeing close to 70 per cent loss of crops.”

George Onyango, a farmer in Nyatike, says: “I have a 10-acre farm and I have generally done well over the years. We pride ourselves in this region as the ‘feeders of Kenya’, but this year we are staring into the eyes of a disaster. I doubt very much I will be able to afford to send my children to school this year, as I am haplessly watching my only source of income getting eaten before my very eyes.”

So far, conservative estimates indicate the loss of Africa’s maize due to the fall armyworm could cost the continent US$3 billion in the coming year.

World Vision is supporting farmers across Kenya with education on how to respond to pest attacks. The humanitarian agency has also been supporting those most in need with health and food aid across Kenya and East Africa as they face the current hunger crisis.

Notes to the editor
• The fall armyworm (FAW) is believed to have arrived on the African shores from the Americas in a shipment of maize. It was first detected on the continent in West Africa in January 2016. A year later, it was in southern Africa and it has since swept north, with some moths flying up to 100km a day. It has recently been reported as far north as Ethiopia.
• It feeds on 80 different plant species but the most prevalent strain eats maize, which is the staple of 200m people in sub-Saharan Africa. About 300,000 hectares across the region have already been ravaged.
• Each adult moth lays up to 2,000 eggs during its two-week life, usually in batches of 100-200 on immature maize plants. Newly-hatched larvae often tunnel directly into maize before crawling to the ground to pupate.

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