SW News: At least 1.85 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa were displaced in their own countries due to climate shocks in 2022, revealed the NGO Save the Children. The charity is calling on world leaders to address the crisis at the continent's first climate summit running until 8 September in Nairobi, Kenya. The charitable organization that has been working alongside young children for over a century now said the rising numbers require urgent action.

The charity is working to enhance prevention, preparedness, support, and recovery from climate disasters to protect the youngest in emergencies.

According to data from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the overall number of sub-Saharan African children who were internally displaced within their own nations nearly doubled in 2022.

Climate disasters have a negative impact on housing, employment, agriculture, security, and health. The biggest threat to human health, according to the World Health Organization, is climate change.

Floods in Borno State and other regions of Nigeria led to a threefold increase in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) as a result of these catastrophes from 2021 to 2022: from 2.6 million to an estimated 4 million. At least 854,000 individuals, including an estimated 427,000 children, will still be without a home by the end of 2022.

In contrast, Somalia has missed five rainy seasons, impacting 6.6 million people and leaving 39% of the population in urgent hunger. The nation has 1.1 million IDPs, which is the second-highest number in the world.

The number of internally displaced people is predicted to rise in 2023 due to the arrival of the El Nino weather pattern, which is known to contribute to the generation of extreme meteorological events. In 2022, flooding in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, drove more than 30,000 people from their homes. African leaders are sharing their experiences and expressing their concerns during the Africa Climate Summit, which runs from September 4 to 8 in Nairobi, Kenya.

For children, losing their homes means losing access to security, safety, food, and medical care. Save the Children supports children in preventing, preparing for, and recovering from climate-related disasters as part of its interventions to address the global climate issue. The nonprofit organization is also actively monitoring predictions and potential threats in all regions.