Latest news

Over 60 years of conflict have left the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir heavily polluted by landmines and other explosive weapons. Accidents are frequent and half of all the victims are local people often employed the military. Although Urdu is the first language of most people in the state, many of the signs that warn people about the proximity of these weapons are in Hindi.

Humanity & Inclusion is improving rehabilitation departments in hospitals for people with brain lesions in Vietnam. The organisation is currently helping set up the hospital's new speech therapy unit.

Torrential downpours and flash floods in southwest Sri Lanka over the weekend claimed at least 169 lives. More than half a million people are affected, and 75,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. Handicap International’s emergency response experts and the local team in Sri Lanka are evaluating ways to help.

Last November, Mostafa's house was bombed and his legs were seriously injured. He is now living in a shelter made from corrugated iron and tarpaulins with his brothers and his sister. With her help, and with support from Handicap International, Mostafa is getting back both his mobility - and his smile.

Dalal is seven-years-old. Born with cerebral palsy, which affects her speech and mobility, she arrived in Lebanon with her family in March 2012. Today, one of Handicap International’s teams has brought her a wheelchair so she can move around more easily. With help from Handicap International* and her family, Dalal was able to leave her family’s apartment for the first time in eighteen months.

From 25th to 27th September 2015, States are meeting at the United Nations in New York to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the period 2015-2030. This marks a decisive turning point in the lives of people with disabilities worldwide, who will now be taken into account in development policies from which they have long been excluded. Handicap International’s awareness raising and advocacy actions have helped bring about this considerable advance.

A drop in new cases, the start of the rainy season, and prospects for a possible vaccine have changed the way the campaign against the Ebola virus is being fought. Recently back from Sierra Leone, Jérôme Besnier, the director of our Ebola programme, tells us more about this changing context.

Handicap International’s teams face two major challenges in Nepal: providing support to the injured after they leave hospital and transporting aid to people living in isolated areas.

Following the devastating earthquake on 25th April, a second major earthquake struck Nepal on the afternoon of 12th May. The epicentre of the latest quake was 42 miles west of the town of Namche Bazaar, close to Mount Everest. Nearly 2,000 people were injured as a result, and the numbers are rising. In total, over 20,000 people have been injured in the two earthquakes.

A new report, published today by charity Handicap International, reveals the high degree of weapons contamination in Syria and warns that the lives of 5.1 million Syrians - including more than 2 million children - are at risk. Handicap International is calling on all the parties to the Syrian conflict to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and immediately end the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. The international community must also urgently respond to address the harmful effects of these weapons on civilians.

Every 4 minutes, somewhere in the world, a child is the victim of a road traffic accident.  The Child Road Safety in the Americas Congress, organised in collaboration with Handicap International and the United Nations, is to be held in Costa Rica on 7 and 8 May with the aim of improving road safety to better protect children.

According to the World Health Organisation , Nepal is likely to experience a shortfall of staff trained to provide post-trauma care to people with injuries. Handicap International has been working in the country for fifteen years, where its field programme team has been providing support to five rehabilitation centres and forms part of Nepal’s rehabilitation network. However, following the earthquake, there has been an increase in the number of people with injuries, and the organisation has had to deploy additional staff to oversee professionals already working in the field in order to ensure they provide adequate emergency rehabilitation care.

Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal on Saturday 25th April, Handicap International’s teams immediately began distributing equipment to two hospitals in Kathmandu on Saturday. A team of emergency specialists left for Nepal on Sunday evening, followed by a second team on Monday to provide care for injured people and help them avoid developing permanent disabilities.

Salina, 8, still appears to be in a state of deep shock. When the earth began to shake on 25th April, the little girl was playing with friends outside her home. She lost her balance and was thrown to the ground, hitting her head hard and breaking her right arm.

When the earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April, Handicap International immediately mobilised teams to help injured people and distribute medical supplies. In the following hours and days, hospitals were filled by people with fractures, spinal cord injuries and head injuries, many of which were caused by collapsing buildings or falling debris.