Westport, Connecticut (December 23, 2008) — In what has become
the single largest emergency response in its history, Save the Children continues to assist many thousands of children and their families who survived the devastating earthquake and tsunami that
struck Asia and Africa on December 26, 2004.
"Four years after this enormous catastrophe, Save the Children continues to stand by children and family members who survived the
disaster in more than 1,000 villages in five countries: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and Somalia," said Charlotte Petri-Gornitzka, Secretary General of International Save the
Children Alliance.
Of nearly $273 million raised worldwide by Save the Children to address the needs of children and families in five countries impacted by the tsunami, 92 percent has
been spent, with the remaining funds budgeted for 2009 in support of the agency’s five-year rehabilitation and long-term development plan.
"While we remain extremely
proud of the many lives we helped save during our initial response to the tsunami, today our primary focus is on helping families become more self-sufficient and enabling children to succeed in
school,” Petri-Gornitzkasaid. “Thousands of children affected by the tsunami are attending schools we have helped build or repair and are being taught by teachers whom we have helped to
train. And many of these children are also benefitting from our health, nutrition and child protection programs.”
Petri-Gornitzka noted that over the past two years the agency
also has had considerable success in helping coastal communities in Asia prepare for future emergencies. "One of the greatest lessons we have learned from the tsunami is the value of being
prepared for such disasters,” Petri-Gornitzka said.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A woman collects bricks at the ruins of houses which were destroyed by the earthquake in Qingchuan, Sichuan province in this December 16, 2008 photo. The May 12 quake rocked China's ...
