As a recent report exposes how children are being killed by explosive weapons, the X Factor winner visited a facility that creates life-saving treatments for children who have been injured by blasts.
As an acclaimed singer, Leona Lewis is used to testing out her vocal cords. But the X Factor winner faced a different challenge when put through her paces on a research lab’s motion capture treadmill.
Imperial College’s Centre of Paediatric Blast Injury Studies is developing life-saving treatments for children with blast injuries. Exclusive pictures show the singer don a white lab coat on a visit to explore the advanced technology. From 3D printing prosthetic prototypes to specialist machinery measuring the exact impact of shrapnel, the centre boasts cutting-edge technology.
The research hub is a first-class institution dedicated to researching and providing innovations for children who have been harmed by natural disasters and explosive weapons. Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, happy, and loved, according to Leona, who has a three-year daughter. However, millions of people are being robbed of this by conflicts they have no control over.
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The 40-year-old actress added, “I’m proud of the incredible work being done here to help children recover from blast injuries, and supporting these children has never been more urgent. I believe we should all support giving them hope and a chance for a brighter future.
The Centre of Paediatric Blast Injury Studies was launched by charity Save the Children – which works in countries stricken by conflict including Ukraine and Gaza – in partnership with the university in 2023. Claudia Ghidini, PhD Student at Imperial College London, who met Leona on the visit, said: “All too often, children are left with prosthetics in crisis settings that don’t meet their needs – yet prosthetics are the keys to accessing a fulfilling education, healthcare, and play. The very things that allow a child to grow, thrive, and dream…
We are beginning to bridge the gap between urgent humanitarian aid and the longer-term solutions children deserve. From physiotherapy to psychological care, we are paving the way for improved technology, rehabilitation, and holistic support. We want to give every child the opportunity to enjoy their childhood, not define them by their injury.
A recent report reveals how children are being killed by explosive weapons. According to Save the Children’s report, over 60% of all child deaths and injuries between 2020 and 2024 were caused by explosive weapons. In the following five years, almost 50 000 children perished in war. Nearly 12, 000 children were killed or injured in a conflict last year alone, according to the report.
It warns that treating blast injuries in children is more complicated in both the short and long term because the long-term effects of blast injuries on the growth and development of children are still unexplored. They are therefore more dependent on their caregivers and have lifelong physical and psychological consequences.
The report continues, “This report adds that children are more at risk of getting explosives than adults, and they are also given the least attention.” The harm will endure for generations unless immediate action is taken to stop attacks, protect children, and support child-focused recovery.
The report makes a number of demands on the international community, including “Upholding international norms and standards” and “Assist accountability for child abuses.” Additionally, it requests that “children’s protection, recovery, and resilience be resourced, as well as children be placed,” be at the center of decision-making. The report also calls for “more data, monitoring, and cooperation” to be strengthened.
Moazzam Malik, CEO of Save the Children, writes in the foreword that “children are among the first and most affected by contemporary conflict.” This report exposes the ravages that explosive weapons can cause to people’s lives, their futures, and their communities. Children who have lost their parents, whose schools are crumbling, and whose sense of safety have been destroyed are hidden behind every data point.
Without the international community’s immediate response, he continues, “conflict runs the risk of becoming a lawless free-for-all where nothing is off limits.” This is not acceptable as the new norm.
The scars of conflict still haunt an internally displaced family in Khartoum, Sudan. In April 2023, brothers Ali, 13, and Nour, 9, who have changed names, were playing football in their home’s courtyard with friends. They ran for it when the ball rolled into the street, but a shell landed nearby. Nour suffered severe abdominal injuries and a spinal fracture, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, and Ali lost a leg.
Save the Children has supported the displaced family, including providing Ali with a small motor wheelchair, by moving the family to a camp in Gedaref, in the east of the nation. However, the brothers’ father is said to be looking for work elsewhere in Sudan as a means of income. I’ve used a walking stick for two years, but the long distances left my hands swollen and exhausting.
Source: Mirror
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