Peru earthquake
Save the Children's relief efforts continue in Peru as families work toward recovery.
Friday 14 September 2007
An 8.0-magnitude quake that struck Peru's southern coastline early on the evening of 15 August, left more than 100,000 people homeless, according to the country's National Civil Defense Institute.
Save the Children is ensuring that critical assistance, including food and items to make shelters is reaching families in Chincha Province, one of five provinces of the Ica Region in western Peru.
More than 500 people were killed in Ica Region, and thousands left injured and homeless. Schools, hospitals and government-run childcare centres have been destroyed or severely damaged.
What we are doing
Over the last month, we've assisted approximately 50,000 people in Pueblo Nuevo, a district of Chincha Province. We have distributed:
- 50 tons of rice
- more than 2,600 gallons of cooking oil
- 35 tons of lentils
- 3,000 packets of biscuits
- 1,000 large containers of water.
We're also in the process of supplying 4,700 cooking sets, 540 toolkits to assist in the removal of rubble and 10 metric tons of plastic sheeting to families who lost their homes and goods in the quake. We also plan to distribute 190 kits to set up communal kitchens, which will benefit 2,300 families.
Finally, we're providing emotional-support programmes to help children and families recover from the disaster. To date, more than 750 people have participated in programmes, which are being conducted in Lima and Ica.
More help needed
Thousands of children and their families now face long months of rebuilding their lives. "More than 90% of the homes in Pueblo Nuevo collapsed during the quake, so shelter remains a chief concern," says Amanda Weisbaum, Deputy Director of Emergencies, Save the Children.
Officials have condemned most of the homes that remain. But that's making little difference to mothers like Maria Milagros, who are trying to keep their children warm during Peru's unrelenting cold weather.
"It's too cold for my babies to be outside," says Maria, who still cares for her family during the day in her condemned home, despite its cracked walls. At bedtime, they cross the path to their rancho - a tiny, makeshift shelter of wooden poles, blue plastic and straw mats.
Thousands of families like Maria's still need help to rebuild their lives. Save the Children has worked in Peru since 1980 and will remain on the scene to sustain relief and initiate longer-term recovery programmes for children, including their quick return to school.
