This hurricane season, Save the Children is one of few organizations working to prepare and protect children in the Gulf Coast

Above, Mark Shriver meets with a young evacuee in Baton Rouge, La.

July is the second month of the 2006 hurricane season and Save the Children is already helping families along the Gulf Coast protect and prepare children for another possible disaster.

“The United States has never made the needs of children a priority of its disaster management system, or involved child protection experts from domestic and international organizations in the emergency planning process,” said Mark Shriver, Save the Children’s Vice President and Manager of U.S. Programs. “One lesson learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is that the unique needs of children in crisis situations must be addressed in future national emergency response plans.”

In the year after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Save the Children has taken the initiative to fill an advocacy role, working to ensure that children receive the necessary care and protection during emergencies and crisis situations. 

The agency is also conducting hurricane preparedness activities with children who are participating in Save the Children summer programs. In partnership with the American Academy for Pediatrics and Mercy Corps, it is developing family readiness kits and informational pamphlets for parents to help calm their children's fears and prepare for the likely event of another storm.

Through these activities, children learn about the importance of making a plan, the questions they should ask parents, the need for an emergency contact and identification card, and how to follow directions. Parents receive information on how to help children feel safe, how to create a family disaster plan, tips for packing an emergency kit, and how to manage their own stress.

Save the Children is currently the only national organization providing comprehensive psychosocial support to large numbers of children and caregivers in the Gulf Coast. The psychosocial program -- a series of structured support sessions, uses art, drama, music and movement to guide children and teens through their experiences.

The activities focus on building a sense of community, enhancing self-esteem and reinforcing inherent coping skills. The program has been so well-received that it spun off a separate project for caregivers themselves. Save the Children will continue to train teachers, school counselors and others who work directly with children through December 2006.

In addition, Save the Children continues to work in partnership with groups ranging from the Boys and Girls Clubs and the United Way to local schools, child-care providers and private companies in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast.

Save the Children-sponsored initiatives that will be ongoing in the Gulf Coast include after-school programs run in partnership with the YMCA, the rebuilding and restocking of child care centers and playgrounds and, beginning in September 2006, a literacy and nutrition program for low-income children.