As the scale of the devastation caused by Saturday's deadly earthquake in Nepal becomes more evident, it's estimated that over 5,000 schools have been completely destroyed.
Save the Children staff estimate that 90% of the Gorkha district's 500 schools have been destroyed or badly damaged, affecting 75,000 school children.
Deputy Country Director for Save the Children in Nepal, Roger Hodgson says “Nepal's children will need the help of the international community to rebuild 5,000 destroyed schools and repair those that have been damaged – otherwise, this disaster threatens to deprive thousands of children of their basic right to education for months, or even years to come".
Thousands of children have been spending the night in the pouring rain, some too afraid to return to their homes. Many of them sustained injuries from the quake and witnessed the death of their family members.
“At least 11 villages in Gorkha district have been completed demolished – including 60% of health centers and 80% of households – leaving desperate people and families braving the elements without any shelter,” says Lynette Lim, from Save the Children.
Save the Children is offering aid in some of the badly affected areas of Nepal including Gorkha and Kathmandu Valley. Extra supplies are being brought in to substitute diminishing stocks. At present, 136 tonnes of are due to land in the country in the next few days.