Kathmandu – September 15, 2026 -- Two weeks after a devastating flash flood in Nepal, an estimated 540 children remain separated from their parents or unaccompanied, while roughly 630 children in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts are still missing, according to a joint assessment by Nepal's National Child Rights Council and child protection experts including Save the Children.
Assessment finds 1,233 children currently living in emergency shelters
Of those, 102 are unaccompanied and 439 have been separated from their parents but are being cared for by relatives, the assessment shows. The figures underscore the scale of family tracing and reunification work now required in the flood-hit region.
Save the Children flags trafficking and exploitation risks at shelter sites
"Unaccompanied and separated children living in communal shelters are exposed to risks of violence, exploitation and abuse, including trafficking," said Tara Chettry, Country Director of Save the Children in Nepal. The organization and its partners are supporting police at checkpoints to prevent trafficking and the illegal transport of children.
Displaced children remain locked out of classrooms despite school reopening in Bidur
While classes have resumed in the municipality of Bidur, children displaced by the flood are still unable to attend school. Save the Children is calling for all affected children, including those in emergency shelters and those unable to return to destroyed or damaged schools, to resume education as quickly as possible.
Relief operation has reached over 6,100 people, including 2,220 children
Save the Children's emergency response has so far supported more than 6,100 people, over 2,220 of them children, with response teams expanding coverage into additional areas. Aid distributed includes household and cooking kits as well as mosquito nets. The organization has operated programs in Nepal since 1976 across health, nutrition, education, child protection and climate adaptation.