Save the Children New Zealand calls for Children's Emergency Fund donations
Thursday 22 December 2011, 9:14AM
By Save The Children
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Save the Children is urging New Zealanders to invest in a fund that can help the organisation be more prepared and better able to help save children’s lives.
Every year, around 60 million children are affected by emergencies and every time disaster strikes, Save the Children must race against time to save lives.
CEO of Save the Children New Zealand Liz Gibbs said children are always the most in need during and after a disaster.
“The more prepared we can be by having funds at the ready, the faster we can respond and the more children we can save and support,” Ms Gibbs said.
“By donating to our Children’s Emergency Fund, New Zealanders can help save more children’s lives and help us get vital resources and support to children and families in need. Unexpected weather events are on the rise and with the cyclone season already in full swing in the southwest Pacific, there is never a better time to donate.
“With reports of hundreds of children dying and thousands more displaced from flash floods and landslides in the Philippines, Save the Children New Zealand is monitoring the situation closely. Each time an event on this scale takes place we assess whether donations made to our Children’s Emergency Fund can be put to use by our colleagues who are already on the ground helping affected children and families. These funds are also put towards getting people’s lives back on track afterwards.”
Most recently, Save the Children New Zealand used the Children’s Emergency Fund to help children affected by devastating floods in Cambodia, which impacted around 1.2 million people. Many are still unable to return to their homes and face food and water shortages and sanitation issues.
Save the Children is continuing to make sure people in the worst-affected areas have enough food to eat and is helping get schools back up and running. Through the Children’s Emergency Fund, Save the Children New Zealand’s donors contributed to over 4,000 flood-affected children receiving safe drinking water, hygiene education and clean toilets in their schools.
Since 2010, New Zealanders who contributed to the Children’s Emergency Fund have also assisted emergency-relief operations in Christchurch, Haiti, Niger, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.