Funds will be used to set up and operate for 2 years one of 10 Half the Sky BigTop Children's Centers in Sichuan relief camps with preschools, therapeutic after-school activities, & emotional support.
Children who suffer trauma and loss are vulnerable not just in the first dark hours and days after a tragedy, but also in later months - even years when, they fear, the world has forgotten them. Half the Sky's BigTop Children's Activity Centers located in refugee settlements in Dujiangyuan near the earthquake's epicenter will provide long-term support for the children of Sichuan. Locally hired caregivers who receive ongoing training will remain long after disaster volunteers have dispersed.
Trained caregivers offer fun activities, including artwork and music, as well as counseling at cheery BigTop Children's Activity Centers designed to be oases for the youngest victims of the earthquake.
The project will help thousands of children displaced or orphaned by the earthquake reclaim their lives.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
