Indonesia: Over 8,000 children in Indonesia's southernmost province of East Nusa Tenggara are facing safety risks and disruptions to their education after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Flores. The devastating earthquake has resulted in the deaths of around 50 people, with the number of casualties expected to rise, and has displaced thousands of residents.
According to Save the Children, the full extent of the destruction is still being assessed, with more than 900 homes damaged by the earthquake and hundreds of subsequent aftershocks. Critical public infrastructure, including 87 education facilities and 18 healthcare centers, has been affected, further disrupting services essential to children's well-being.
In a harrowing account, Agus, 46, and his wife Euis, 39, both visually impaired, recounted how they scrambled to save their six-month-old son when the quake hit Ruteng, a highland town on Flores Island. The family resides at a special-needs school where Euis teaches. Agus described the terrifying moments: "Once we reached the backyard, the shaking grew much stronger. At its peak, I couldn't even stand up. I held onto my child, my wife, and my mother-in-law. My wife couldn't hold onto me tightly because she had to hold the baby. So I spread my feet wide and tried my best to wrap my arms around all of them."
Save the Children is currently assessing the needs of affected children and families in East Nusa Tenggara alongside a local partner organization to initiate a response. The earthquake compounds existing challenges in the region, including an El Ni±o-driven drought and ongoing volcanic risks associated with Mount Lewotobi, posing additional threats to children's health, protection, education, and psychosocial well-being.
Fadli Usman, Humanitarian and Resilience Director at Save the Children Indonesia, emphasized the compounded difficulties: "This deadly earthquake has caused a lot of pain and damage, while exacerbating existing vulnerabilities caused by recurrent disasters in Flores. Children are among the most at risk. Protecting their well-being and future requires more than addressing their immediate needs; it requires sustained investment in recovery and resilience."
Immediate priorities for the organization include ensuring children's access to education and supporting family livelihoods to prevent issues such as loss of learning, malnutrition, child labor, early marriage, and other protection risks. Save the Children stresses that along with life-saving support, it is equally important to restore essential services, strengthen family and community resilience, and create opportunities for children to recover from the earthquake.
Save the Children has been active in Indonesia since 1976, responding to major humanitarian disasters like the 2004 tsunami and the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, underscoring its long-standing commitment to the region.