Friday, January 22, 2010

Save the Children

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (Jan. 21, 2010) — Another large aftershock, measuring 6.1 in magnitude, struck Haiti in the early hours today. Save the Children staff in country in Port-au-Prince heard already weakened structures collapsing. The threats to and fears of children in the disaster zone remain undiminished.

"Children and families are still sleeping in the open, among the rubble. They are very vulnerable — this aftershock would have terrified them," said Annie Foster, Save the Children's emergency team leader in Port-au-Prince.

She added, "We are working flat out to assist them, bringing in supplies and rolling them out to the people who need them as fast as we can."

Save the Children also continues to work on accounting for its own staff in the capital. Those in Jacmel and Leogane have reported in and are safe.

New Child Friendly Spaces Established

This week, Save the Children started setting up the first of many Child Friendly Spaces planned for shelters and camps housing earthquake survivors. Forty children have already been registered and we are expecting another 250 children to start activities today.

These safe spaces protect children and give them a place to play and recover from the suffering they have endured and witnessed. The agency plans to set up an additional three Child Friendly Spaces this Friday.

Said Foster, "We know that children are very resilient. Given the right care and support they can recover from what was a terrifying ordeal. Our Child Friendly Spaces will help children regain a little normalcy in these highly abnormal times and have a chance to come together and play with other children. This is the first step in their long road to recovery."

Save the Children will be receiving six plane loads of supplies with urgently need relief items in the coming week.

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