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Summary: One month on from the Asian earthquake, Save the Children is calling on the international community to dramatically scale up its response. The earthquake has already claimed nearly 80,000 lives and unless more is done to assist the reported three-and-a-half million homeless and 79,000 injured then thousands more could die from disease and exposure, the charity warns.
Ā One month on from the Asian earthquake, Save the Children is calling on the international community to dramatically scale up its response. The earthquake has already claimed nearly 80,000 lives and unless more is done to assist the reported three-and-a-half million homeless and 79,000 injured then thousands more could die from disease and exposure, the charity warns. While the response of the UK public has been very generous, more government money is urgently needed to avert a potential second disaster. One month on from the devastating earthquake less than a quarter (24% or $131m) of the $550m appealed for by the UN has been pledged, and nearly half of this figure ($60m) remains undelivered. Save the Children is spending Ā£4m in the region but this will run out in another month, and thousands more may die unnecessarily unless further funds are secured. "The international community should collectively hang its head in shame," says Toby Porter, Save the Children UKās Emergencies Director. "The challenges we are all facing today getting aid through to vulnerable children and their families before the snowfall were all predicted within days of the earthquake last month. The message then from the UN was clear. The world needed to provide both an instant and a massive response, particularly on the financial side. For the world to have committed such a small proportion of what the UN has asked for one month later, and with winter closing in, is a disgrace." The international community should collectively hang its head in shame," says Toby Porter, Save the Children UKās Emergencies Director. "The challenges we are all facing today getting aid through to vulnerable children and their families before the snowfall were all predicted within days of the earthquake last month. The message then from the UN was clear. The world needed to provide both an instant and a massive response, particularly on the financial side. For the world to have committed such a small proportion of what the UN has asked for one month later, and with winter closing in, is a disgrace."
The scale of the international response to the UN appeal is in stark contrast to that for the Boxing Day tsunami, when international donors pledged over $700m for immediate emergency relief in the first two weeks alone. Four donors (Japan, UK, US and Germany) contributed more to the UNās tsunami appeal than the total global contribution so far to its Asian earthquake appeal, with Japan alone pledging over $500m - four times the total global commitment to the UNās earthquake appeal. Ā Tsunami Kashmir Earthquake Number of dead >200,000 >75,000 Number of homeless c. 2 million > 3.5 million Initial UN appeal $977m $550m Pledges to UN appeal one month on$775m (79%) $131m (24%) Ā Ā The comparison with the international response to the tsunami is all the more striking given that the need for immediate relief is even more pressing. The earthquake destroyed 70% of houses in the affected areas and damaged the remainder, leaving up to three-and-a-half million people in 15,000 villages homeless and in need of medical care and water and sanitation support. Thousands remain at risk from disease and exposure, with the harsh Himalayan winter just around the corner. Ken Caldwell, Save the Childrenās Director of International Operations, says: "Governments have been much slower to release funding than after the tsunami, despite the fact that there are over 50% more people displaced and we are in a race against the weather. Every day, it is getting colder and colder, and people will not survive long in the open or in makeshift shelters. Young children are particularly vulnerable. "We urgently need additional funds now to enable us to reach these families before it is too late. Unless we receive more funds in the coming days, our vital life saving efforts will be held back." To donate to Save the Childrenās Earthquake appeal please call 0207 012 6400 or visit our website: www.savethechildren.org.uk. -Ends- ___________________________ Ā
For more information please contact: Ā Save the Children Press Office: 0207 012 6841 Ā Email address: Press@savethechildren.org.uk
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Notes to Editors Save the Children fights for children in the UK and around the world who suffer from poverty, disease, injustice and violence. We work with them to find lifelong answers to the problems they face. For more information about Save the Children, please visit the website: www.savethechildren.org.uk
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Registered Office: Save the Children UK, 1 St. John's Lane, London, EC1M 4AR. A company registered in London no. 178159 and limited by guarantee, Registered charity no. 213890,VAT registered no. 239 5393 33. Patron: Her Majesty the Queen, President: Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, Director General: Mike Aaronson, Save the Children is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance.Ā
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