First of many child centres for the Philippines

20 November 2013

For immediate release

First of many child centres for the Philippines

Vulnerable children in the Philippines will soon have access to safe havens with the first of several child friendly spaces scheduled to open tomorrow.

In partnership with UNICEF and local communities, Save the Children will provide psychological and social support to youth and their families at 11 centres on Leyte, an island in the Visayas group of the Philippines.

Several other centres are scheduled to open in the days that follow in Panay, also in the Visayas.

Save the Children New Zealand CEO, Heather Haymen, said “These centres will provide children with protection and address psychological and social needs.

“Children react to crises in different ways so it is crucial they receive sufficient protection and support in the immediate aftermath so that they are more resilient in the longer term.

“Our staff are still seeing hundreds of children begging on the roadside each day, out of school and unattended, making them vulnerable to abuse and exploration.

“Centres will also provide the essentials such as food, water and bedding, and allow parents time to focus on re-establishing their homes and livelihoods,” she said.

Staff and volunteers in the area will received specialised training in responding to children’s needs, and will provide informal education and activities within a safe and structured environment.

Child Protection Regional Advisor for Save the Children, David Bloomer, travelled to Dulag - a province in Leyte - today and described seeing villages in ruins and children with no structure to their day.

“Evidence suggests that the faster children get back into school and back into normal and regular activities, the faster they will be able to recover.

“There is an urgent need to help children recover from this tragic experience. Communities have expressed how extremely anxious they are about their children’s wellbeing,” he said.

-Ends-

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Save the Children has been present in the Philippines since 1981, and aims to reach half a million people through its response to Typhoon Haiyan.

It is also setting up child-friendly centres, nutritional support centres, and mobile medical clinics.

Given the scale of devastation, Save the Children is committed to addressing children and families’ needs over the longer term.

Save the Children works in 120 countries.

We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential.

© Scoop Media