Haiti Emergency Update
17/05/2010
ChildFund is still working with our international partners to provide emergency relief to the Haitian people. Thanks to the generous support we have been able to distribute food to approximately 4,000 households in over 60 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. In addition to food assistance, ChildFund has distributed water filters, sent medical teams and organised structural engineers to inspect earthquake damaged homes for safety.
Child Centred Spaces
In traumatic situations like the aftermath of a disaster children are the most vulnerable. ChildFund has worked closely with our partners in Haiti to create safe Child Centred Spaces.
These Child Centred Spaces are areas where children can play, receive medical treatment and have access to a basic education. They enable children to be children away from the stress of their environment. Therapy is also made available to children who are at risk of developing psychological trauma due to living through such a traumatic experience.
To date four Child Centred Spaces are fully functioning with six more in development. Thanks to your support, we have also achieved:
- 450 children are regularly attending four established Child Centred Spaces
- 14 people have received training on providing care and support to children
- 80 children with disabilities who were enrolled in Centre d’Education Special CES (Centre for Special Education) destroyed during the quake have been located and are receiving support
Moving Forward
There is still much work to be done to rebuild Haiti. ChildFund is committed to helping the people of Haiti so they can have access to education, health facilities and essentials like food and water. Some more projects that are in progress are:
- ChildFund will reach and help 1,200 children with disabilities or injuries
- Working to rebuild the collapsed CES, providing ongoing services to the children, who need support now more than ever.
- Establish more Child Centered Spaces, which are central to ChildFund’s programme approach to reaching out to children during crises when schools are not functioning.
- Train more volunteers, teachers and counsellors, who will work with the children to talk about the effects the earthquake will have on their lives.
The earthquake destroyed the CES Building. ChildFund will assist with the eventual reconstruction of the school.
