MANILA – January 7, 2014 – Save the Children, in partnership with UNICEF and the Department of Education, celebrates the return of children to school, a major step of recovery after typhoon Yolanda. Across some of the hardest hit areas schools re-opened, welcoming back children, some of whom have been out of school since the typhoon made landfall, the group said in a press release.
More than 3,000 schools, providing an education to over 1 million pupils, were damaged by super typhoon Yolanda, with school books and learning materials being destroyed or swept away. Save the Children’s priority has been to set up temporary learning spaces to provide safe places for children to learn and allow them to restore some sense of normalcy, they said.
Save the Children teams on the ground have also been clearing debris from schools and training teachers to provide the care and support children need following the shock of the typhoon.
In San Rafael school, Dulag municipality, Leyte Save the Children provided stationary to children returning to school and in Dulag Central, Save the Children organized a ceremony for over 400 pupils, where representatives from the Department of Education addressed the crowds and children performed songs and dances.
Ned Olney, Save the Children’s Country Director in the Philippines said, “The return of children to school today marks a great achievement in the continued recovery of communities from the devastating effects of Yolanda. Returning to learning after such a terrifying ordeal is crucial for children’s well-being. Save the Children will continue to work around the clock to distribute essential teaching and learning materials and support schools to provide a quality education to children.”
Sun, nine years old, was one of the many pupils who returned to Dulag Central school today. He said, “I am so happy to come back to school today – I get to see all my teachers and classmates again. I know my future will be okay if I can continue with my education.”
Rowena Vical, Central Principal of San Jose School, which re-opened today and has received support from Save the Children said, “Education is so important – many of the families here are poor but education is the one thing we can share with our children. If children are educated they can stand on their own two feet and have a future.”
In photo: Children start classes in Dulag Central school with the support on Save the Children, Unicef and the Department of Education.
