{"id":13879,"date":"2026-04-06T09:49:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T09:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/?p=13879"},"modified":"2026-06-27T10:13:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:13:52","slug":"high-peaks-broken-promises-laila-jabeen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/2026\/04\/06\/high-peaks-broken-promises-laila-jabeen\/","title":{"rendered":"High Peaks, Broken Promises &#8211; Laila Jabeen"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_flex_section\"><div class=\"et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_flex_row\"><div class=\"et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et-last-child et_flex_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_flex_column_24_24 et_flex_column_24_24_tablet et_flex_column_24_24_phone\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_flex_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><!-- wp:html --><\/p>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<p>\n        The mountainous region of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan is highly dependent on its natural environment.<br \/>\n        Surrounded by glaciers and rivers, communities rely on agriculture and glacial water for survival.<br \/>\n        However, climate change has intensified glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), putting lives,<br \/>\n        livelihoods, and especially children at risk :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>Climate Risk in Hunza<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Over 3,000 glacial lakes, with 33 classified as high-risk<\/li>\n<li>Frequent flooding due to unstable glacier systems<\/li>\n<li>Communities heavily dependent on natural resources<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Timeline of Flood Disasters<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>2017\u20132018:<\/strong> Shishper Glacier surge formed a dangerous lake<\/li>\n<li><strong>2019:<\/strong> Major flood damaged infrastructure including the Karakoram Highway<\/li>\n<li><strong>2020:<\/strong> Continued flooding in Hassanabad<\/li>\n<li><strong>2022:<\/strong> Severe flood destroyed homes, land, and orchards<\/li>\n<li><strong>2025:<\/strong> Recent floods caused widespread damage again<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Impact on Communities<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>24 households affected; 9 homes destroyed<\/li>\n<li>Loss of agricultural land and orchards<\/li>\n<li>Food and financial insecurity<\/li>\n<li>Destruction of early childhood education (ECD) centers and safe spaces<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Impact on Children<\/h2>\n<p>\n        Children face severe emotional and psychological challenges. Case studies highlight:\n    <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loss of homes and displacement from communities<\/li>\n<li>Separation from friends and family<\/li>\n<li>Anxiety, grief, and confusion about the disaster<\/li>\n<li>Interrupted education and uncertain futures<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Living Conditions After the Flood<\/h2>\n<p>\n        Many families were relocated to prefabricated housing units provided by humanitarian organizations.<br \/>\n        While these offer basic shelter, they often lead to isolation and disrupt children\u2019s social lives and schooling.\n    <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n        Before addressing climate education, we must prioritize trauma-informed support systems<br \/>\n        for children and caregivers. Safe spaces for healing, play, and learning are essential.\n    <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Community Resilience<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Strong community solidarity and volunteer support<\/li>\n<li>Emergency assistance from organizations<\/li>\n<li>Faith-based coping mechanisms and emotional healing<\/li>\n<li>Collective efforts to maintain caregiving routines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Climate disasters deeply affect children\u2019s emotional and developmental wellbeing<\/li>\n<li>Urgent need for trauma-informed, child-centered disaster response systems<\/li>\n<li>Education disruption requires strong government intervention<\/li>\n<li>Long-term climate resilience must replace short-term relief strategies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>\n        The story of Hunza is a powerful reminder that climate change is not just an environmental issue\u2014it is a human crisis.<br \/>\n        Children, the most vulnerable, bear the deepest scars. Building resilient systems that prioritize their wellbeing<br \/>\n        is essential for a sustainable future.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; margin: 30px 0;\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Laila-Jabeen-.-WGCCYC_KL.pdf\" download><br \/>\n        <button style=\"\n            background-color:#308f1d;\n            color:white;\n            border:none;\n            padding:15px 25px;\n            font-size:16px;\n            border-radius:5px;\n            cursor:pointer;\n            transition:0.3s;\"><br \/>\n            \ud83d\udcc4 Download Full Report (PDF)<br \/>\n        <\/button><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:html --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-impact-and-resilience","category-world-forum"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13879"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13887,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13879\/revisions\/13887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}