School was their safe place…until a bomb destroyed it

As a contribution to the ongoing policy discussions on adapting humanitarian response to urban contexts, the US and UK governments hosted a side event at the Red Cross Red Crescent International Conference in Geneva, in December 2015.

The months-long siege of eastern Aleppo ended in mid-December as Syrian government forces wrested control of areas that had been held by rebels. The intensifying bombing of these neighborhoods in the weeks before the ceasefire forced many residents to shelter underground, and tens of thousands to flee.

How can I speak to children about their mental health? How can I support children with their mental health? The IRC's Healing Classrooms approach could help.

Two months ago, sisters Marta* and Oksana* lived peaceful lives in the same Ukrainian town where they were born, married and spent their entire lives. They both have young children–four between them, ages 9 to 15–and their families were happy, content and prosperous.