Humanitarian Innovation for Child Development

An unprecedented number of people in distress due to the crises triggered by disasters or conflicts have given rise to a series of daunting challenges faced by the global humanitarian system. Children, in particular have been the worst affected demographic group in such crises. The 1.1 million Syrian children registered as refugees with UNHCR Worldwide and 1.5 million children rendered homeless by the Nepal Earthquake of April 2015 highlights the plight of children in humanitarian crises.

Unique and contextualized approaches, grounded in innovative solutions are required to overcome such challenges to safeguard the future of these children. This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses on the theme of 'Humanitarian Innovation for Child Development'. An innovation may not solely be a concrete technological entity, it may also be a new idea or approach to tackle an existing problem.

This issue highlights how innovations in planning for humanitarian interventions can have a far reaching effect on improving the effectiveness of such interventions, especially for children. Improved humanitarian outcomes as a result of institutionalizing family planning and vocational training programmes in humanitarian interventions are cited as such innovations. Similarly, newer approaches to planning for safer schools by capturing the perspectives of the children attending those schools is also highlighted.