Responding to Quake-Affected Children in Peru Save the Children staff offloading food in the community of San Isidro in Chincha Province. Save the Children / Brendan Kolbay On the evening of August 15, southern Peru's coastal provinces felt the devastating shake of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake.  The earthquake tumbled homes and infrastructure, killing over 500 people, injuring more than 1,290 and leaving an estimated 320,000 families homeless and exposed to the elements. Save the Children continues to provide immediate relief in some of the hardest hit areas. To date, more than 75,000 people in the Pueblo Nuevo District received assistance.   The agency has distributed 50 tons of rice, 10 tons of cooking oil, 35 tons of lentils, 3,000 packets of biscuits, 538 toolkits to assist in the removal of rubble, 1,000 large (approximately 40-gallon) containers of water and 10.5 metric tons of plastic sheeting to families who lost their homes and goods in the quake. Save the Children has distributed 4,700 cooking sets; and 190 kits for communal kitchens, which will benefit 2,300 families and is supplying 5,600 family food rations.  The agency also provided two generators: one for the Pueblo Nuevo District and the other for the Human Rights Commission in Ica (CODE-ICA).    The quake left more than 100,000 people homeless, according to the country's National Civil Defense Institute. Schools, hospitals and government-run childcare centers have been destroyed or severely damaged. "Shelter remains a chief concern," said Rudy Von Bernuth, who heads Save the Children's emergency response efforts worldwide. "Children and their families are still spending the night in the open. They have lost everything and face long months of rebuilding their lives." Save the Children has constructed communal shelters for 2,300 families and is currently building an additional 1,220 emergency shelters and 30 safe spaces for children.  Save the Children also is providing emotional-support programs to help children and families recover from the disaster. To date, more than 750 people have participated in programs, which are being conducted in Lima and Ica. Save the Children has worked in Peru since 1980 and will remain on the scene to sustain relief and initiate longer-term recovery programs for children, including their quick return to school.  Read More Spotlight: Meet Two Children Who Survived the Earthquake in Peru Peruvian Photographer Mario Testino Launches Save the Children Global Appeal You can help Save the Children respond to emergencies that put at great risk the survival, protection, and well-being of significant numbers of children. By contributing to the Children’s Emergency Fund, you enable us to respond immediately to children and families who urgently need our help when disasters strike.   Donate to the Children's Emergency Fund