Reuters AlertNet Lite - Save the Children Seeks Public Support for California Wildfires Response

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FROM THE FIELD

Save the Children Seeks Public Support for California Wildfires Response

25 Oct 2007 23:00:00 GMT
Source: International Save the Children Alliance

Rancho Bernardo resident Michaela Peters hugs her neighbor Erin O&#39; Sullivan
after the two were told by a San Diego Police officer they could not salvage in the wreckage of the O&#39; Sullivan home in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego County October 24, 2007. Peters
lost her home as well. Police allowed some residents to return to their homes, but they were not allowed to step foot on the property to salvage. Dying winds gave California firefighters their first
big break on Wednesday after four days battling wildfires, but San Diego faced more calamity as blazes there burned out of control and kept more than half a million evacuees from returning home.

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Rancho Bernardo resident Michaela Peters hugs her neighbor Erin O' Sullivan after the two were told by a San Diego Police officer they could not salvage in the wreckage of the O' Sullivan home in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego County October 24, 2007. Peters lost her home as well. Police allowed some residents to return to their homes, but they were not allowed to step foot on the property to salvage. Dying winds gave California firefighters their first big break on Wednesday after four days battling wildfires, but San Diego faced more calamity as blazes there burned out of control and kept more than half a million evacuees from returning home.
facing camera

Save the Children is calling on the public to support the agency's efforts to assist children and families affected by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Today, Toys"R"Us, Inc. announced that the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund is supporting the response effort by donating $250,000 to Save the Children's California relief work.

Westport, Conn. — Save the Children, a humanitarian agency that responds to disasters and works to improve the lives of children around the world, is calling on the public to support the agency's efforts to assist children and families affected by the devastating wildfires in Southern California.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. announced that the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund is supporting the response effort by donating $250,000 to Save the Children's California relief work.

"Save the Children is deeply grateful for the immediate and generous support of the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund," said Mark Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director of Save the Children's U.S. Programs.

"Through this contribution, we will be able to reach thousands of children who have been forced from their homes and help to ensure their safety."

Thousands of Children Still in Need

However, with thousands of families and children still in emergency shelters, Save the Children will need additional support as the agency begins to address the long-term needs of those who lost everything to the wildfires.

Save the Children has a team of crisis experts in San Diego providing assistance to those evacuated from their homes, assessing the damage and identifying other needs of children impacted by the wildfires. Jeanne-Aimée De Marrais, Save the Children's Team Leader for the response effort, reported from one of San Diego's evacuation shelters that children were sleeping on blankets, out in the open, in the cold, smoky air. Read Jeanne-Aimée's blog

"We know from experience that the needs of children are rarely a priority in emergency situations," said Shriver. "When children are

displaced from their homes and schools and their routines are disrupted, they suffer in unique ways, and sometimes they lose faith in grown-ups' ability to protect them."

Save the Children, which has responded to nearly 20 emergencies around the world over the last year, is working with the American Red Cross to set up and run its trademark program "Safe Spaces" for

children in evacuation centers. The agency has already trained 60 Red Cross staff members and shelter volunteers in California to run these safe play areas, and has provided 20 safe play kits for use in California shelters.

In addition, Save the Children and Mississippi State University's Early Childhood Institute will monitor the status of child-care facilities in the region affected. The agency will reach out to these facilities and local schools to offer assistance in the effort to get children back into school and child care as quickly as possible once the fires have receded.

Margarita. Margarita and K'lea (correct spelling) are
cousins. Margarita's mom (who is K'lea's grandmother) is the legal guardian for both. They have been in a shelter since Monday. (Copyright: Save the Children US)

Margarita. Margarita and K'lea (correct spelling) are
cousins. Margarita's mom (who is K'lea's grandmother) is the legal guardian for both. They have been in a shelter since Monday. (Copyright: Save the Children US)

"Returning children to their normal routines is a proven way to help them recover from loss and from the frightening images of destruction they have experienced firsthand or they may have seen on television," said Shriver. "It also allows parents the time and space they need to get their lives back together."

Save the Children implements long-term literacy and nutrition programs in California's Central Valley and in San Bernardino. The agency also advocates at a state and national level to raise the priority of children's needs in disaster planning, response and recovery.

Save the Children works in more than 50 countries, including the United States, and serves more than 33 million children and 32 million others working to save and improve children's lives, including parents, community members, local organizations and government agencies.

--
For more information, contact Mike Kiernan +1202 261 4686

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Fri Oct 26 12:24:06 2007