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American Red Cross and Save the Children Work Together to Care for Kids in Shelters
By Beth Boone, Special to RedCross.org
Friday, October 26, 2007 — "It takes a village to raise a child." This well-known African proverb describes the need for many people to contribute to helping those who are vulnerable or suffering, such as the people affected by the recent Southern California wildfires. Many of these people are children - and children must rely on caregivers to provide for their needs during disaster. The American Red Cross helps provide for many emergency needs immediately following a disaster - needs like food, counseling and shelter. But, no one organization can do this alone and the Red Cross is no exception.
American Red Cross response to the 2007 Southern California Wildfires Kevin Chen, Derek Chan and Wen Ding play board games at a Red Cross shelter at Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, California. Hector Emanuel/American Red Cross
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Within Red Cross shelters, a partnership with Save the Children helps provide "Safe Spaces" - safe physical areas in which children can play, learn, socialize and express themselves under the supervision of a caring adult. Safe Space Kits contain materials that can be used to set-up and establish a safe space within a shelter. These pre-packaged kits contain materials to mark off a special area for children, activity supplies (such as art materials, books, games and toys), and other materials to assist children and families in a shelter environment. The structured, supervised activities offered in Safe Spaces are designed to strengthen children's resilience and help them begin to work through their emotions following a disaster.
The Red Cross receives the kits from Save the Children and, to date, has distributed 13 of the 30 that are on order for shelters in Southern California. Ricky Randall, a resident of Ramona, Calif., who is staying in the Red Cross Mira Mesa High School shelter in San Diego, Calif., is still unsure of the state of his home but is very grateful for the Safe Spaces services provided in the shelter. Ricky’s three year old daughter, Nevaeh, appears to like it, too. "This has been the most amazing area we have ever been to – Nevaeh has had so much fun and so many children to play with – she has more to do here than at home! Just watching my daughter, and being helped by the shelter workers, has been the best thing ever."
The American Red Cross, Children's Disaster Services (a program of the Church of the Brethren) and Save the Children signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 25, 2007, which defines how these organizations collaborate to establish Safe Spaces in emergency evacuation shelters during disaster events in the United States.
"It is only through working with other organizations that the Red Cross, as a leader in the disaster response community, can truly meet emergency needs for men, women and children during times of crisis," said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Response at American Red Cross. "Having these partnerships in place before a disaster strikes is the key to being able to quickly distribute the services people need, so they can get help immediately."
While this is not the first use of the Safe Spaces partnership, it is one of the most extensive. The kits were used in shelters during the Midwest flooding in September 2007 and during the Greensburg, Kan., tornado in May 2007. Each time, the kits have allowed children to take their minds off of the disaster at hand and have some normalcy in their lives.
"In the midst of an emergency, providing children with "Safe Spaces" to play and interact with their peers is a proven way to speed recovery from the frightening experience of evacuating their homes and witnessing scenes of destruction and loss," said Mark Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director of Save the Children's U.S. Programs. "The American Red Cross and Save the Children are committed to ensuring the needs of children in emergency shelters are met, and through our partnership, we are able to bring a much needed service to the children and families impacted by California's wildfires."
The Red Cross and Save the Children are in the process of placing the kits in Red Cross warehouses around the country so they are easily at hand for future disasters. Every disaster is unique, but the one thing that remains constant is that children will have a special need for care and support. The Red Cross and Save the Children are ready to meet that need.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the lives of children in need in the United States and around the world. Recognized for our commitment to accountability, innovation and collaboration, our work takes us into the heart of communities, where we help children and families help themselves. www.savethechildren.org
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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