Westport, CT (October 7, 2005) --

A man walks through debris on a road made inpassable by floodwaters in Cocales, Guatemala. Reuters/Daniel Leclair, courtesy www.alertnet.org

Torrential rains, floods and landslides – coupled with activity from one the largest volcanoes in Central America – has forced tens of thousands of children and families from their homes and put many children at risk.

Save the Children is assisting displaced children and families in hundreds of shelters set up in Central America in the wake of Hurricane Stan, which has killed at least 225 people across Central America and Mexico and forced more than 200,000 to flee their homes.

Governments in El Salvador and Guatemala—the two countries hardest hit by the hurricane--have each declared a state of emergency. Rains also have impacted thousands of families in Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Save the Children is working closely with authorities in El Salvador and Guatemala to assist displaced families impacted by the hurricane. The agency is providing displaced families water, sanitary towels, diapers and children’s clothes at shelters as well as working directly with children to help them adjust to the disaster through supervised play activities.

In addition, Save the Children is assisting families in El Salvador who live near Santa Ana, the country's largest volcano, which erupted for the first time in one hundred years early Saturday morning October 1.

“The volcanic eruption has created great fear of potential further eruptions, and the government has directed a wide-scale relocation of villagers," said Catherine Kennedy, field office director for Save the Children in El Salvador. "Families in all nearby communities have been asked to move to the shelters as a precaution, including two communities in which we work.”

Save the Children has worked in Guatemala and El Salvador on behalf of children and their families for more than two decades, with a special focus on improving children’s health and education.

Donate now to support the Central American Children Hurricane Recovery Fund