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London, 12th May 2015. 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.

A violent 7,4 magnitude earthquake has just hit Nepal. The epicenter of the tremor is located 83 km at the East of Katmandu and 68 km at the West of Namche Bazar, in the Everest region. It has been followed by several replicas.

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.

Jehad is 24. She was evacuated from her home on the first day of Eid after a warning missile hit her neighbourhood, and she moved to her uncle’s house.

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.

The day after Nepal was hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Saturday 25 April, Wesley Pryor, Handicap International’s rehabilitation adviser, travelled to assess the situation in Gorkha, an isolated region very close to the epicentre. He travelled in conjunction with International Medical Corps.

London, 27th April 2015. Up to 3,600 people have been killed and more than 6,500 injured in Nepal, according to figures released by the United Nations . Several regions have been cut off and the number of victims continues to rise. Handicap International expects to see significant numbers of spinal cord injuries and multiple fractures among the injured people arriving at hospitals. It is paramount that the wounded are taken care of immediately to reduce the risk of long-term disabilities. 

Handicap International’s teams, already present and active on the ground in response to the disaster, will be joined from Monday by several emergency specialists, to evaluate and meet the immediate needs. The first aid distributions were already made on Saturday by the organisation, which is also providing care to injured people.

On Saturday morning, 25th April, a powerful earthquake struck Nepal. So far the disaster has killed more than 1,000 people. Nepal has declared a state of emergency, and Handicap International teams are already on the ground, delivering direct aid and evaluating the need for a large-scale emergency intervention.

London, 25th April 2015 . Handicap International has launched an emergency response following the violent earthquake that hit Nepal on earlier today. At least 970 people are reported dead, but that provisional toll is expected to rise given the widespread scale of destruction. Active in Nepal since 2000, Handicap International has already provided emergency wheelchairs to several hospitals. The organisation is calling for donations to help injured and vulnerable people.

Sumaira, 8 years old, was born with the congenital development disorder Spina Bifida . Despite her parents' best efforts to provide her with care, Sumaira is unable to stand up and walk unaided. Before she started receiving care from Handicap International, she was fully dependent on her parents for all her day-to-day needs.

Despite the hopes raised by a sharp drop in the number of contaminations in January, the Ebola virus epidemic is not over yet. Bruno Leclercq, Handicap International’s Field Programme Director in Sierra Leone and Liberia, talked to us about the problems still facing the region and the exceptional commitment shown by the people of Sierra Leone.

Seng Ly, 52, lost the use of her legs in 1989 after she was hit by an anti-tank mine. At the time, she was living in a camp for Cambodian refugees in Thailand. More than twenty years on, Handicap International is still at her side.