Thousands of Children Missing School
Thousands of children miss out on education as schools, universities used to shelter homeless in flood hit Solomon Islands
Wednesday, 9 April 2014 - 10:24am
Thousands of children have not returned to school and face continuing interruptions to their education after flooding devastated the Solomon Islands last week.
Nine school buildings in the nation’s capital Honiara are being used for evacuation centres, with more than 10,000 people requiring emergency shelter after losing their homes in the floods.
Many other schools have been badly damaged, with floodwaters drenching carpets, smashing windows and destroying learning materials. School was due to return on Monday, however this has been delayed as the nation reels from the disaster.
Australian aid worker Graham Kenna from Save the Children is in Honiara. He said, “The interruption to schooling will have a serious impact on children’s education, however it’s not just their schooling that Save the Children is concerned about. Living through a deadly disaster like this will have a big emotional toll as well, and we need to ensure there are supports in place to help children cope and recover from the disaster.”
Save the Children, in partnership with the National Disaster Management Office, is conducting assessments to affected communities and preparing to provide recreation and education items to children who would normally be at school in the coming days.
“We do know from experience in other disasters that the best thing we can do now is get children back into school as soon as possible to provide a sense of normality and routine,” added Mr Kenna.
Save the Children workers are providing education services in affected areas, using Education in Emergencies kits which include items to run a range of educational and recreational activities.
“It’s really important to keep children engaged and to try to take their minds off what has happened,” Mr Kenna said.
In addition to a focus on education, Save the Children is distributing plastic sheeting, buckets, jerry cans, soap and blankets, and will fly in more emergency relief items from around the world.
Save the Children has been working in the Solomon Islands since 1986, responding regularly to disasters including earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and flooding.
ENDS
For more information or an interview with Graham Kenna call the media team on +44(0)207 012 6841