The three million children affected by the Sichuan earthquake one month ago will need support for years to come to recover from the aftermath of the disaster.

Wyndham James, Country Director for Save the Children in China, said: "Children are most vulnerable in an emergency and it will take years, not months, to get their lives back to some sense of normality. Save the Children has responded to emergencies all over the world. We know many children will have been traumatized by what they have experienced and it will take a long time for them to recover, especially those that have been orphaned or separated from their parents."

Save the Children is currently responding to the earthquake that hit Sichuan province on 12 May, killing more than 69,000 people and making millions homeless. The charity is helping children living in tented cities set up to house families whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake.

"Children have very different needs after a disaster. They need to be protected from further harm, to be kept healthy and to return to school as soon as possible. So far the government has shown good understanding of the specific issues facing children and we hope that this will continue as the response moves from relief to the rehabilitation. Getting children back to school after an emergency is vital, so we welcome their commitment to providing psychological support for students and to providing temporary schools so children can re-start their lessons while construction of new schools is carried out."

Save the Children is supplying school equipment and supporting children from smaller marginalized schools to return to education. The aid agency is also working with community groups to provide younger pre-school children with care and activities.

To further protect children living in the camps, Save the Children has set up five spaces where they can come and play safely with other children while their parents try to rebuild their lives.  So far 550 children have benefited from the child friendly spaces in Mianzhu and An counties and we will be setting up another 10 throughout the affected area.

Save the Children is starting work on a health programme targeting carers and babies under two years old. We are planning to construct five baby bathing stations where mothers and other carers can bring their young children to wash them, away from the other facilities in the camps. The stations will give out health and hygiene information and distribute baby towels, baby powder, baby food, and mosquito nets.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact:

Li Yahui, Press Officer, Save the Children in Beijing on + 86 10 6500 4408 ext. 519 or
Kathryn Rawe, Media Manager Asia, Save the Children in London on +44 (0)20 7012 6841.

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