In the aftermath of the devastating floods that ravaged the coastal city of Derna, western Libya, residents have come together to provide care and breastmilk for young children orphaned by the disaster. The floods, which occurred on September 10, have left hundreds of babies and young children without parents, with entire neighborhoods wiped out after two dams broke.
Volunteer Mona Alashi explained the urgent need for breastmilk, as children do not wish to use artificial feeding bottles. To meet this need, 62-year-old resident Nawal Alghazal has started a campaign to collect breastmilk from women already breastfeeding their own children and distribute it to the orphaned children.
As of now, Alghazal has taken in 70 young children and is working with other residents to provide for their basic needs. Another resident, Marwa Abdelrazzaq, has volunteered to take in a Derna orphan and promised to give them the same care and attention as she would her own daughter.
The floods have also displaced over 43,000 people, with 30,000 of them being from Derna. Many have moved to other cities across Libya, hosted by local communities or sheltered in schools. The loss of loved ones has left survivors vulnerable to exploitation and violence, particularly children who have lost their parents or been separated from their families.
Derna’s Residents Unite to Care for Orphaned Children After Devastating FloodsLocal authorities have converted schools into shelters for the displaced children, while the UN’s migration agency has reported that more than 43,000 people have been displaced in the area. Health authorities have launched a vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases, which has initially targeted search and rescue teams, children in Derna, and other affected areas.
The lack of trust in the state’s institutions has made it challenging for the social affairs ministry to take charge of the orphaned children’s welfare, leading to a surge in unofficial foster care initiatives. Civil activist Abdelnabi Abu Araba has received nearly a thousand offers of foster care through his Facebook page and phone contacts, but emphasizes that the ability to provide financial support is not the sole criterion for becoming a foster carer.
Bushra Kareem, a 37-year-old volunteer, is working to identify children who have survived the disaster, provide psychological support, and help them integrate into schools before the academic year starts. She warns that even if children manage to make sense of what has happened to them, the reality of the disaster can become distorted with their imagination, leading to “severe disturbances” involving fear, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms.
As the community continues to rally around the orphaned children, residents are also grappling with the political implications of the disaster. On Monday, hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside the main mosque in Derna, castigating the political class that has controlled Libya since the removal of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.