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BEIJING, 18 October2012– In the aftermath of the September 2012 earthquake that struck Yiliang County, Yunnan Province, UNICEF has sent four shipments of supplies and, with the National  Working Committee on Children and Women（NWCCW）and the Yunnan Working Committee on Children and Women, established three Child Friendly Spaces to support the long-term recovery and wellbeing of earthquake-affected children.

©UNICEF/China/2012/Yang Haiyu In a UNICEF-supported Child Friendly Space in Yiliang, children enjoy a performance given by their peers.

The four shipments contained blankets, quilts, tents, hygiene kits, toys. These materials have gone to schools and to the Child Friendly Spaces.

 “Emergency-affected children need to have a safe and fun place to spend their time after school, during weekends and long school holidays in the aftermath of the earthquake and followinglandslides,” said Yang Haiyu, a UNICEF China Child Protection Specialist. Mr Yang made a joint field assessment trip with NWCCW to the Yiliang area soon after the earthquake to identify suitable sites for the establishment of Child Friendly Spaces. “Child Friendly Spaces can meet the needs of children in the earthquake zone and provide children a safe space to study and play, as our experiences in Wenchuan and Yushu Earthquake relief and reconstruction proved.”

As Yiliang is primarily a mountainous county, the earthquake and the rainy weather have already caused secondary disasters. On October 4, a landslide, triggered by continuing rains, killed 18 schoolchildren and one adult.“UNICEF and its partners have identified three sites in which to establish Child Friendly Spaces and provide community-based services.” said Yang Haiyu.

©UNICEF/China/2012/Yang Haiyu   Volunteers from Sichuan Province plays games with children in Yiliang.

As of October 7, Child Friendly Spaces have begun normal operations and service delivery. To support the provision of psychosocial and other community-based services, volunteers from the Child Friendly Spaces set up by UNICEF in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake zone have come to Yiliang to help train local staff. “We believe that this timing technical support initiative will help deliver the first roundsof needed psychosocial support services to children in Yiliang” said Yang Haiyu.

The Child Friendly Spaces set up in Yiliang are based on the model established following the Wenchuan earthquake. The original Child Friendly Spaces set up in 2008 have helped over 300,000 children and parents to recover from the disaster.

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About UNICEF in China: UNICEF first assisted China between 1947 and 1951, providing emergency services, food and nutrition, health and hygiene training during and after the Civil War. In 1979 UNICEF officially commenced its cooperation with the Government of China to support child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is on the ground in over 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.

For further information, please contact: Dale Rutstein, UNICEF China, +86 13910973801, drutstein@unicef.orgor Liu Li, UNICEF China, +86 13701066671, liliu@unicef.org