Save the Children to Partner with the Canadian Red Cross to Assist with Alberta Wildfires Recovery Efforts

June 16, 2016, Toronto…Save the Children is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Canadian Red Cross to help address the needs of children and families affected by the wildfires in Fort McMurray and its surrounding area. Through this partnership, both organizations will work in collaboration to provide specialized support for the children and youth affected by the disaster.

Globally recognized as leaders in child-focused disaster response, Save the Children is known world-wide for its Child Friendly Spaces (CFS), which are a critical component to providing support to children and families following a disaster. A Child Friendly Space’s structured, supervised activities offer needed comfort and routine to children, strengthen children’s resilience, and help them begin to cope. CFSs also help boys and girls interact with peers, build self-esteem, and begin the recovery process by working through their emotions and building upon their natural resilience. These Spaces also provide a forum for sharing valuable child safety and recovery information with families when they need it most.

This new partnership agreement will mean that more Child Friendly Spaces can be established and operating hours of existing Child Friendly Spaces may be extended. Child Friendly Spaces will further enhance Red Cross safety and wellbeing services for evacuees. Evacuee families – especially those who need social supports – will require continued and on-going assistance throughout the process.

“As families remain in transition and are unable to return to the Fort McMurray area, it is vital that we take a holistic approach to addressing their needs,” says Conrad Sauvé, president and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. “We are very proud to partner with Save the Children Canada to help provide children and their families with additional supports including structured and recreational activities, comfort and support as they move forward from this disaster.”

“For Save the Children, partnering with the Canadian Red Cross feels very organic. Our work is complimentary, so by collaborating we can help even more children and their families to recover from emergencies and disasters. I’m extremely glad our organizations are partnering and I look forward to a continued future relationship with the Canadian Red Cross,” said Patricia Erb, President & CEO of Save the Children.

Child Friendly Spaces are operating in Edmonton and surrounding areas, as well as in Calgary. CFSs do not follow a uniform schedule of operating hours, instead they open for the hours that best suit the needs of the community they serve.

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