Haiti Hurricane Response

Save the Children is assisting children in areas throughout Haiti where four recent tropical storms have affected more than 250,000 people.

Our assessment teams report that many smaller villages have washed away - as have critical roads and bridges, which is hampering attempts to provide relief. Large numbers of people are moving through the floodwaters in search of shelter and dry ground. Many have lost their homes, crops and means of making a living. An estimated 50 schools supported by Save the Children have been damaged. One particularly hard-hit village, immediately targeted by Save the Children relief efforts, lost 60 residents in flood waters that swept through the area.

Impact on children

As in most disasters, children have been severely affected by the effects of these hurricanes. Many children have lost their homes and are now displaced, creating a sense of insecurity. Some may also have lost family members and friends. Children are also among the most vulnerable in an affected population, they are at risk from debris or unsafe areas, disease, and they will feel the affect of the loss of their parents' income and uncertainty that families now face.

"Children are in a very precarious situation. They have lost their homes, schools and all that is familiar to them. They lack food and shelter - and face enormous risks from the environment," said Ned Olney, who heads Save the Children USA's humanitarian response unit. "They are also quite afraid, and their entire world has been turned upside down."

Our response

As well as responding to immediate physical needs, Save the Children is working to ensure that vulnerable children are protected through the establishment of safe play areas to try and restore a sense of routine and normality for children as soon as possible.

We are also working toward getting children back into school. Out of the approximately 200 schools with which Save the Children works, one-fourth are reporting structural damage. Many other schools are being used as shelters.

How you can help

To supprt our activities and assist children in their recovery, please donate to Save the Children USA or visit your national Save the Children organisation.

More information

For more information, media queries and interviews please contact Kate Conradt on 01 202-640-6631.

More on our response

Eye witness accounts

Voices from Haiti: Giving children hope in storm ravaged Haiti

Press releases

Save the Children Continues Relief Effort, Expands Protection Programs for Haiti’s Flood-Affected Children (26 September)
Helping Children Recover in Storm-Ravaged Haiti (11 September)
Save the Children Responds to Needs of Children in Storm-Ravaged Haiti (8 September)