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Many Children Facing Life-or-Death Situation Following Earthquake in South Asia
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| Supplies arrive for distribution to children and families affected by the earthquake. |
“We need immediate support from the American public to help us save the lives of thousands of children who have lost everything as a result of this terrible earthquake in Pakistan that may have taken as many as 80,000 lives,” said Charles MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children.
“Once again we are calling on the American public to support our emergency response efforts in Pakistan and neighboring countries hit by the earthquake, just as we did for our work in helping children impacted by the December 26 tsunami in South Asia and the recent hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. For many children in the worst hit areas, this is a life-or-death situation."
Having worked in Pakistan since 1985, Save the Children was able to respond quickly to the earthquake, sending $100,000 worth of tents, food items and other basic supplies to impacted areas over the weekend and dispatching 14 trucks filled with additional supplies to the North-West Province of Pakistan, where the earthquake devastated many rural communities.
“Our staff members are distributing tents, blankets, food and plastic sheeting to survivors as quickly as we can – right through the night,” said Bruce Rasmussen, Save the Children USA Field Office Director in Pakistan on Tuesday.
“Our focus is to get shelter and food immediately into the worst affected areas,” he said. “There are so many people in need. So many homes, hospitals, and schools have been destroyed. Children are disoriented. They don’t know what to do. They are living outside in the cold. We must respond now.”
To meet the needs of thousands of families forced from their homes, Save the Children is assembling and distributing family packs. A “family pack” contains 1 tent, 5 blankets, plastic sheeting, 5 gerry cans and a food for one family for a week, including flour, sugar, rice, tea, lentils, edible oil, salt, mixed spices, milk powder, matches and water purification tablets.
Described as the worst earthquake ever to hit Pakistan, government authorities on Tuesday estimated that as many as 80,000 people may have died from the earthquake that has impacted millions of people in Pakistan, northern India and the disputed region of Kashmir.
Save the Children is coordinating with the Pakistani government, the U.S. government, the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations in meeting the needs of families and children in the worst hit areas of Pakistan as well as assisting families impacted in India and Kashmir.
Media Contact: Mike Kiernan, 202-261-4686; cell phone: 202-460-0614; email: mkiernan@dc.savechildren.org
