Climate Crisis, Child Crisis: The 2022 Floods and Early Childhood Development in Pakistan
Introduction
In 2022, devastating floods submerged a third of Pakistan, a catastrophe that impacted 33 million people. Of those affected, half were children. This wasn't a sudden crisis; according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2025, Pakistan ranks as the number one country most impacted by extreme weather events. The 2022 floods were another stark reminder of climate change’s cataclysmic impacts on climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan.
Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to flooding because of:
Nearly two and a half years later, with the kind support of ARNEC (Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood) Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA) conducted a research study to understand the long-term impact of the floods on these communities, focusing on the lives of children and their mothers or caregivers. Through focus group discussions, interviews, and surveys, our mixed-methods research incorporated the lived experiences of mothers, caregivers, community leaders, government officials, teachers, and adolescents.
We looked at two distinct districts in Sindh, Pakistan (a region now, yet again, suffering flooding in 2025). Thatta, a coastal district, is a region highly vulnerable to repeated climate disasters, facing intense socio-economic deprivation. Sindabad is an informal urban settlement in Karachi-East district. Originally established after the 2010 floods, its population grew dramatically after the 2022 floods as displaced families sought shelter and stability. These two sites provided a crucial look into the long-term struggles of both rural-coastal and urban-displaced communities.
What we found was a heartbreaking picture of families living in severe multi-dimensional deprivation. Our research sheds light on the critical, ongoing needs of these communities and comes at a crucial time. With the government's increased focus on a life-cycle and multi-sectoral approach to care, health, nutrition, and education, our findings are essential. They can help inform disaster management authorities and relevant departments, ensuring better preparedness for future emergencies and, most importantly, protecting the most vulnerable among us.
What is the State of Early Childhood Development in Pakistan?
Even before the floods, the state of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Pakistan was already deeply concerning. Recent data underscore the severity of these challenges. Over 40% of children under five are stunted (World Bank, 2023), and nearly half of all children experience at least one severe deprivation, whether in education, health, housing, information, nutrition, sanitation, or water. Alarmingly, 90% face at least one moderate deprivation (UNDP, 2021). Access to ECD services remains starkly unequal: only 34% of rural children benefit from ECD services compared to 68% in urban areas—an inequity driven in part by extremely low public spending, which amounts to just 0.1% of GDP for ECD-specific programs (World Bank, 2023).
The floods exposed the need for a more holistic approach to early childhood development, one that integrates multisectoral collaboration and considers the long-term consequences of climate change on young children. Traditionally, early childhood programs have focused on specific areas, like health or nutrition, but they fail to address the complexity of needs children face during disasters.
In response to this, the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) provides a comprehensive reference to conceputalize a holistic understanding of ECD. It is built around the importance of integrating five key components: health, nutrition, safety, responsive caregiving, and learning opportunities. The 2022 floods highlighted how the absence or disruption of these components significantly impairs the development of young children, affecting their physical, cognitive, and emotional growth.
Key Findings: The Impact on Children
The report found that the floods severely impacted children in multiple areas, deepening pre-existing inequalities and compromising their futures. Some of the most concerning findings include:
What did survivors tell us?
“Mothers give babies gutka to silence their crying. The daily gutka expenditure is high, even in poverty."” (Child Protection Officer, Thatta)”
""We lost our 4-year-old child. After the floods, we were on the road for months with no help or medicine.” (Mother, Sindhbad)”
“We were not able to find any Dai (midwife) … I suffered a lot to deliver this child.” (Mother, Sindhbad)
"I delivered my baby 3 months after the floods. He is 2 years old now and is still weak. He keeps getting wounds that don’t heal." (Mother, Thatta)
"Our children became quiet after the floods. They cry over small things and get scared easily.” (Mother, Thatta)
"There is no hospital or clinic nearby. If someone gets sick, we need to take the person to a private hospital for which we barely have any means." (Father, Sindhbad settlement)
"Hindu-Muslim discrimination was severe in camps. Transgenders faced harassment, even police helped perpetrators.". (Government Official, Thatta)
"The most common shelters during floods are schools, which end up completely damaged—furniture burnt, infrastructure ruined. At night, people burned school furniture to ward off mosquitoes." (Social Welfare Official, Thatta)"
"There’s no school or seminary here. Our children spend the day idle. If they get basic education, they could run a business someday.” (Father, Sindhbad)
Image via News9
What did our research discover?
Our research revealed several critical themes about the long-term impact of the floods and the humanitarian response.
Systematic Exclusion and Apathy: The humanitarian response failed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. Infant care was completely overlooked, with inappropriate food provided in camps. Existing social discriminations, such as gender norms and caste hierarchies, amplified vulnerabilities and led to aid exclusion.
Fragmented Efforts: The aid response was disjointed, with services operating in silos. For example, food distribution was disconnected from health services, and child protection measures neglected nutritional needs. Governance failures and a lack of resources meant that local emergency plans were ineffective, creating bureaucratic paralysis.
The Myth of Preparedness: Pakistan's social protection systems were not prepared for a climate disaster. Rigid rules, such as the need for documentation like CNIC cards, became barriers to aid. The near absence of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in emergency budgets showed a systemic failure to recognize the unique harm that developmental disruption causes.
Cascading Shocks: All five pillars of Nurturing Care—health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, safety, and early learning—were simultaneously undermined. Failures in one area, like food security, created a ripple effect, compounding the risks to a child’s development.
The Long Tail of Displacement: What began as a short-term crisis has become a chronic condition. Many families remain in temporary shelters without access to safe water and sanitation. This prolonged displacement and deprivation constantly stress children's immune and cognitive systems.
Invisible Trauma: Children now flinch at the sound of rain, and caregivers, also traumatized, are resorting to desperate coping mechanisms. Women face an increased burden of care and heightened protection risks in overcrowded shelters. These traumas, if left unaddressed, can have long-lasting effects on children's health and learning.
Loss of Early Learning: With thousands of schools damaged and no temporary learning centers, displaced children have lost months of education. This disruption threatens irreversible educational deficits, as evidence from past disasters has shown.
Community Resilience: Despite the immense challenges, communities are showing remarkable resilience. Neighbors, religious leaders, and informal groups are providing critical support. Formalizing and supporting these grassroots efforts could significantly extend the reach of aid.
Unless these patterns are addressed, the country risks embedding an entire generation in a cycle of stunting, poor learning, and reduced potential. Investing in integrated, child-centered recovery and risk reduction is crucial to building resilient human capital for an era of climate volatility.
Conclusion
The 2022 floods in Pakistan served as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of young children during climate-induced disasters. The Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) offers a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to ensure children’s needs are met even in times of crisis. Addressing the needs of children in emergencies is not just a moral imperative—it is essential for building a resilient and thriving future. By integrating ECD into disaster responses, Pakistan can ensure that children not only survive but thrive, even in the face of climate adversity.
This blog was written by Mariam Shah, Kanza Abbasi & Adil Ashraf of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, an NGO in Pakistan.