Libyans to the rescue of Derna’s orphans; offer them aid, take them in
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Hundreds of traumatized newborns and young children are said to have lost their parents in Derna.
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A member of the Libyan Red Crescent stands in floodwater near a submerged vehicle in Derna, on September 14, 2023. (AFP)
Libyans are coming together to provide breastmilk and care for infants who have been orphaned after deadly floods hit to coastal city of Derna on September 10.
Over 43,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and hundreds of traumatized newborns and young children are said to have lost their parents in Derna.
Nawal Alghazal, a 62-year-old resident of Benghazi, has launched a campaign to help infants in need.
Alghazal, who took 70 children in since the floods, expressed it was the very least that could be done.
Other women also expressed they would take children in and care for them as their own.
These kinds of initiatives are regarded highly as children who lose their parents or are separated from their families are more vulnerable to dangers such as violence and exploitation, according to UNICEF.
However, Libyan journalist Noura Eljerbi warned that children should not be relocated before paperwork was completed to classify them as orphans
According to Eljerbi, over 400 children who have been separated from their families in Derna are now housed in two schools that have been transformed into shelters. Desperate relatives daily visit the shelters in search of lost family members.
On his part, activist Abdelnabi Abu Araba expressed that although many have offered foster care for orphaned children, a person's social situation and behavior need to be assessed.
He noted that the social affairs ministry would normally conduct a wide survey of a prospective fosterer before coming to a decision.
The head of the Libyan National Disease Control Center, Haider al-Sayeh, reported earlier that at least 55 children in the northern Libyan city of Derna have been poisoned as a result of water pollution caused by the recent floods.
Bushra Kareem is a volunteer trying to locate children who have escaped Derna with and without their families and to give psychological assistance to assist them in integrating into schools before the school year begins.
Kareem explained that children may be prone to "severe disturbances" such as dread, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders following the traumatic events.
Derna to host reconstruction conference: authorities
In a related context, Libya's eastern-based administration announced Friday that an international conference will be held next month in the flood-ravaged port city of Derna to boost rehabilitation efforts.
In a statement, the administration announced that "the government invites the international community to participate in the conference planned for October 10 in Derna to present modern, rapid projects for the reconstruction of the city."
The conference is scheduled to be held to respond to the demands of "residents of the stricken city of Derna and other towns that suffered damage" after the floods.
The official death toll from the flood is over 3,300, but the final figure is believed to be far higher, with foreign assistance organizations estimating that up to 10,000 people are still missing.
