WFP scales up food aid as Ebola spreads in eastern DRC
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is expanding food assistance and logistics as Ebola rapidly spreads across 48 health zones in five provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The outbreak is unfolding in a region already affected by conflict and hunger, with nearly 10 million people facing severe food insecurity.
To help contain the virus, WFP has delivered more than 160,000 hot meals to Ebola patients, close contacts, and frontline health workers, while providing food assistance to nearly 60,000 people, including 14,000 people in quarantine.
The agency says food aid is critical to helping families stay home and comply with public health measures.
WFP has also supported the response by operating 495 humanitarian flights, transporting 3,395 aid workers, and delivering 56 metric tons of essential supplies to affected areas.
Latin America’s shrinking student population could reshape education by 2050
Latin America is expected to have 38.3 million fewer school-age children by 2050, creating both challenges and opportunities for education systems, according to a new analysis by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America, and the UN education and culture agency.
The report says declining enrollment could free up funding, classroom space and teaching resources.
This would allow countries to reduce class sizes, expand early childhood and secondary education, strengthen teacher training and better support underserved communities.
The study warns that these potential gains are far from guaranteed.
Significant education gaps remain across the region, with only 72 per cent of pre-primary-aged children enrolled and 41 per cent of students failing to complete secondary school.
Rather than using lower enrolment as a reason to cut education budgets, the authors argue that governments should reinvest available resources to improve the quality, equity and accessibility of education.
The report also stresses that demographic change is uneven across the region.
The authors urge governments to plan better – noting that countries will need to anticipate the effects of declining birth rates, safeguard investment in education and direct resources towards families that are most in need.
Children bear the brunt of renewed violence in Sudan’s North Kordofan
At least 23 children have reportedly been killed and another 25 injured in Sudan’s North Kordofan [DJ1] state over the past two months, as fighting around the besieged city of Al Obeid intensified, UNICEF said on Wednesday.
The latest attack, on 24 July, reportedly killed four children – two boys and two girls aged between eight and 16.
The violence follows reports that at least 10 children were killed or injured in May and at least 30 in June, including a two-month-old infant.
“Behind every number is a child whose life has been cut short and a family whose future has been altered forever,” said UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett.
Across Sudan, more than three years of war between government forces and former allies the RSF militia, have left children increasingly vulnerable.
During the first six months of 2026 alone, at least 330 children were reportedly killed or injured, while repeated displacement and damage to schools, health facilities and water systems continue to deepen the humanitarian crisis.
The UN children’s agency called again on all combatants to protect civilians, particularly children, and to uphold international humanitarian law.
Jolina Dong, UN News
Source of original article: United Nations (news.un.org). Photo credit: UN. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of Global Diaspora News (www.globaldiasporanews.com).
To submit your press release: (https://www.globaldiasporanews.com/pr).
To advertise on Global Diaspora News: (www.globaldiasporanews.com/ads).
Sign up to Global Diaspora News newsletter (https://www.globaldiasporanews.com/newsletter/) to start receiving updates and opportunities directly in your email inbox for free.
