The Business Bytes
THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
NEW DELHI, APRIL 22, 2025
As Earth Day 2025 casts global attention on the environmental challenges of our time, a stark warning emerges from one of India’s leading child welfare organizations: children, particularly those from marginalized communities, are bearing the heaviest burden of the climate crisis.
Sumanta Kar, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages India, issued a powerful call to action, urging governments, corporations, and civil society to prioritize child-centered climate resilience strategies. “Children are not just passive victims of climate change — they are its most vulnerable casualties,” said Kar. “The impact on their health, education, safety, and psychological well-being is devastating and long-lasting.”
India, with over 30% of its population under the age of 14, stands at a critical juncture. The rise in climate-induced disasters — from the floods in Assam and Bihar to cyclones along coastal states and droughts in Maharashtra and Rajasthan — has already left a trail of destruction. And it’s the children who suffer the most.
Kar highlighted how climate change is exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities: “Children in poverty-stricken communities already grapple with hunger, malnutrition, limited access to healthcare, and broken education systems. Climate change deepens these inequalities, pushing survival further out of reach.”
Displacement caused by natural disasters is a growing concern. “When homes and communities are swept away, children lose not only shelter but also their sense of security. They are pulled out of school, separated from family, and often face exploitation or child labor,” he said. “For children without parental care, the trauma is even more profound.”
One of the most alarming consequences of the climate crisis is its disruptive impact on education, often overlooked in policy conversations. “Schools are frequently destroyed or repurposed as relief shelters during disasters,” Kar noted. “Migrating families face difficulties re-enrolling children, and economic pressures force many to drop out permanently.”
Education, Kar emphasized, is the most effective tool to break the cycle of poverty, and its interruption represents a massive loss — not just to individual children but to the country’s development.
Kar urged urgent investment in climate adaptation and disaster preparedness, especially those tailored for children. “We need child-friendly emergency shelters, trained caregivers, and resilient educational infrastructure. Communities must be equipped with response plans, and children taught how to act in emergencies,” he said.
The CEO’s message was clear: “The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue — it is a child rights issue.” He called for multi-stakeholder action to ensure that every child, especially the most vulnerable, has the opportunity to grow in a safe, nurturing environment.
Founded in 1964, SOS Children’s Villages India is the country’s largest self-implementing childcare NGO. With a network spanning 32 villages across 22 States and Union Territories, the organization provides comprehensive care through a variety of interventions, including Family Like Care, Family Strengthening, Youth Skilling, Kinship Care, Foster Care, and Emergency Childcare.
Today, over 6,500 children live in 440+ family homes, cared for by SOS Mothers and Aunts. The organization empowers more than 65,000 children annually, with its impact reaching over 83,000 lives across the country.
