Haiti is a land of children. Nearly 60 per cent of its people are under 19. This calls for a focused approach to responding to the devastating earthquake that turned much of an already struggling country into rubble. This disaster has turned back the development clock by a generation.

Over the years, I have been involved in many humanitarian missions responding to earthquakes, the most recent ones include Iran, South Asia, China and Turkey. We have learned many lessons over the years.

For starters, the most vulnerable groups -- children, pregnant and breast feeding women, people with disabilities and elderly -- will bear the brunt. This reality compels aid groups and development organisations to focus most of our efforts on children.

Food, water, shelter and medical treatment are absolutely vital to save lives but we must also treat children for psycho-social trauma. Simple things like play games in a safe area give children a much-needed sense of normalcy. The 1993 earthquake in Latur, India, taught us that we cannot ignore the accessibility needs of large percentage of people - including children - who required emergency amputation of limbs. A large pool of people newly disabled were completely ignored, creating lasting, long-term problems.

Emergency response organisations must train local people in skills such as first-aid and emotional first-aid to build capacity for long-term needs. After the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran, the organization I was with trained scores of local women in physiotherapy and emotional care. In Turkey, women just needed a tent and they became a hub for people needing help and discussions on rebuilding.

Haiti is not a country of lazy people. During my past visits for humanitarian missions, it was a common to see people building their own houses. Homemade cinderblocks -- sand, cement and water pushed into wood forms - would be laid out by the dozen to dry in the sun. These blocks gave Port-au-Prince its distinctive grey colour, and perhaps also what made it so defenseless to an earthquake.

The people of Haiti do need our help. Here are a few key suggestions:

1) Children are disproportionately affected. All responses and future investments must address their needs and protect their rights. Girls and women must be protected from gender-based violence.

2) Restarting education is a key to giving children a sense of normalcy. Teachers will need training on trauma counseling.

3) Local communities must be made full partners to give them a sense of ownership and self determination. Everyone is ready to roll up their sleeves. Even more, aid groups are recruiting volunteers.

4) We must reach out everyone in need and not wait for them to ask for help. There are many amputations happening every day and thousands of people who may have lost mobility or are so traumatized that they have retreated into an emotional shell.

5) Good intentions alone are not enough. For example, removing children from their families and natural environment is actually harmful. We need to give all children back their natural environment and living conditions and a better future.

6) Disaster preparedness saves lives. Cyclone Sidr, which hit Bangladesh two years ago, killed an estimated 3,000 people. Without the immense effort to prepare for such a disaster the death toll would have been ten times that total.

There is no shortage of people ready to get the job done, but the world must give them the long-term financial support to help them reclaim their lives and rebuild a better Haiti.

Dr. Unni Krishnan is a physician and disaster response policy coordinator with Plan International a child-centered international development organisation.