Save The Children Delivers Critical Supplies To Survivors Of Asian Tsunami

Save the Children is moving quickly to assist children and families hit by the Asian Tsunamis as the death toll continues to rise.

Executive Director of Save the Children New Zealand John Bowis said teams are pressing ahead with needs assessments and initial responses in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar.

“This is the largest emergency affecting children we have seen in some time,” he said. “Our immediate focus is the provision of critical supplies, including food, water, medicines and clothing – without which hundreds of thousands of children are particularly vulnerable to diseases, which could bring the death toll even higher. Save the Children is desperate for public support to ensure we reach as many survivors as possible.”

The International Save the Children Alliance is flying a plane of essential supplies out to Sri Lanka carrying plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, tents to run children's services from, and essentials such as clothing, water purification tablets and cooking utensils. Six container trucks and four lorries have left the capital bound for the worst-affected areas carrying food, medicine, water and clothes for 37,000 families.

In Indonesia, Save the Children is procuring food to assist 10,000 worst-hit families, basic medical supplies for midwives and health clinics. Two members of the Save the Children US team tragically lost their lives to the tsunami in Aceh and others are still missing. A Save the Children midwife training centre was destroyed and ten participating midwives were killed.

In India, Save the Children is carrying out a joint assessment with Action Aid in Tamil Nadu and Andrah Pradesh. Needs that are emerging from our assessment team is that there are a large number of separated children and infants. Key relief needs are food and clothing, particularly baby food, household items, and water purification tablets and equipment.

Save the Children New Zealand requests donations urgently via the donation line 0800 167 168; by post to PO Box 6584, Marion Square, Wellington; or online at http://www.savethechildren.org.nz. All donations are directed through to the International Save the Children Alliance-led emergency programme.

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