Save The Children - FIVE YEARS ON FROM THE GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE

"A learning ground for the entire world."
On the 26 January 2001, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale devastated five districts in the state of Gujarat in north-western India, killing an estimated 20,000 people, injuring 150,000, and making more than a million homeless.

Around 40% of those affected were children, and the emergency response would become the largest Save the Children intervention up to that time, leading to a five-year programme worth £5 million.

Save the Children was on the scene within 36 hours, providing essential emergency relief in the form of survival kits before shifting our focus to emergency preparedness, ensuring access to health and education services, and longer-term reconstruction.

By the end of its initial relief operation in September 2001, Save the Children had provided relief materials to 72,562 families and provided materials and equipment to 23 Primary Health Centres, 148 Health Sub Centres, 2 Community Health Centres, 9 dispensaries, a hospital, and 872 pre-school centres providing education and nutrition support to pre-school children and mothers. It had also built 24,000 semi-permanent shelters in partnership with a network of 22 grassroots NGOs.

Focussing on one of the most neglected and remote areas of Kutch, Rapar taluka, Save the Children's Gujarat response continued until the end of December 2005, highlighting the length of time it takes to rebuild communities affected by such natural disasters.

Gareth Owen, Save the Children's deputy director of emergencies, said: "Gujarat has been a learning ground for the entire world. It has informed Save the Children's subsequent emergency responses in both India and outside. It highlights the time needed to respond to an emergency of this scale, which is why we will still be responding to tsunami-affected countries, and more recently Pakistan, for years to come."


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