Earthquake in Ecuador:
Save the Children Mobilizing Relief for Children after
Country’s Worst Earthquake in Over 30 Years
April 19, 2016
"Children are among the worst affected by this disaster,
with many injured and left without homes. We already
have teams on the ground who are working with
the Ecuadorian Humanitarian Network to assess the
needs of children and respond accordingly. The safety
and protection of children and their families is our main
priority and we will focus our efforts on the worstaffected areas."
-- Maria Villalobos, Country Director for Save the
Children Ecuador and Peru.
The Emergency
A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake off the Pacific
coast of Ecuador rocked the Andean nation on
April 16, collapsing buildings in urban areas and
damaging homes and infrastructure along the coast.
The earthquake was the worst in the country since
1979; the death toll has climbed to over 400 and
over 3,000 people were injured. There are remote
villages that have not yet been reached because of
landslides or damaged communications systems,
making it extremely difficult to determine the
earthquake’s impact and needs of children in rural
areas. The government declared a state of
emergency in the provinces of Santa Elena, Manabi,
Esmeraldas, Guayas, Santo Domingo de los
Tsáchilas and Los Rios, and has asked for
international assistance.
The Impact on Children
Children are always among the most vulnerable
during emergencies. Earthquakes of this magnitude
not only cause devastating damage to homes and
communities, but can affect children in many other
ways. Children experienced an extremely stressful
event outside their comprehension, and are feeling
many frightening aftershocks. They have lost the
comforting routines of their daily lives and may face
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A row of damaged buildings in Chamanga, where we
will initiate relief for children and families.
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weeks and months of uncertainty and great
stress. There are reports that children have been
separated from their families, and those in
evacuation shelters may be at risk of abuse and
exploitation, as well as psychosocial distress. With
over 140 schools reportedly damaged, it’s likely
that children’s education will be disrupted.
Our Response
We have issued an urgent appeal for a
minimum of $750,000 in new funding for the
initial phase of our response over the next 90
days. Your generous contribution will be pooled
with other resources for relief we are launching
for children and their families, including vital
supplies and their distribution, other logistics,
our expert staff and the technical assistance
they provide, and other essential program
activities.
Save the Children has a strong presence in
Ecuador, where we have worked since 2004. We
conduct education, protection and children’s rights
governance programs in more than 80 communities
in six provinces. We also support emergency
preparedness activities in schools and communities.
providing them with learning materials to
replace those lost.
We will be focusing our relief in the rural north in
and near Chamanga and Muisne in the Esmeraldas
Province. According to initial assessments in
Chamanga, an estimated 80 percent of buildings
sustained damage, half of residents are displaced
from their homes, and basic services have been
affected. The region is one of the poorest in
Ecuador, with nearly all families living in poverty. A
high percentage of the population are children.
We are also participating in the United Nations’
education and protection cluster systems, which
will help aid agencies coordinate their services so
that aid reaches all those who have been affected.
Our response team participating in assessments
with the government and local authorities has
heard directly from local residents who have to
date received no assistance despite the
earthquake’s impact.
Our regional experts in logistics, water and
sanitation, and shelter will be arriving in Ecuador to
support our local response team.
The funding we seek will enable us to:
 Distribute household kits that include
kitchenware, mosquito nets, blankets, rope and
sleeping mats. We are sending kits from our
pre-positioned relief supplies in Panama.
 Provide psychosocial support to children who
are emotionally overwhelmed by their
experience. We plan to open child-friendly
spaces for children who have lost their
homes. These are places where children can
play, learn and be protected as they recover
from the trauma of the earthquake.
 Provide technical support for the repair and
restoration of water supplies to ensure access
to clean water.
 Help restore children’s access to education.
Schools are currently on vacation and are
scheduled to reopen on May 1. However, some
146 schools are said to be damaged. We will
work to ensure that children can resume their
education as soon as possible, in part by
Why Save the Children?
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent
child-focused humanitarian organization. We have
nearly 100 years’ experience responding to children
and their families during and after crises. We are
exceptional among aid agencies because we provide
comprehensive emergency readiness, relief and recovery
programs that are specifically designed to meet the
unique needs of children. We have well-trained national
staff worldwide who are ready to deploy at a moment’s
notice.
Our international experts in health, nutrition, food
security, shelter, water and sanitation, education and
child protection can join staff on the ground if
needed. We also have pre-positioned relief supplies in
many regions that can be distributed quickly.
Because we work directly with children and families in
the heart of the crisis, we know immediately when
conditions change and are able to adapt programs to
meet children’s most urgent needs. Save the Children
also stays as long as it takes to help children, families
and communities recover from their losses, rebuild their
lives and become more resilient.
Nobody knows when the next crisis will strike. That's why 10
percent of your generous gift goes to helping our emergency team
prepare for and provide critical assistance when and where
children need us the most.
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