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National Leader for Protecting Children in Emergencies to Deliver Critical Child-Focused and COVID-19 Prevention Supplies to Families in Border Shelters, Support Devastated Child Care Centers

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 21, 2021) — With harsh winter conditions this week forcing millions in Texas to go without power, heat and water, 91�ֿ� is working to meet the most urgent needs of children in some of the areas hardest hit by the historic winter storm.

The global nonprofit’s emergency response team and local program staff in Texas are mobilizing to deliver critical supplies to migrant shelters across the southern Texas border, from Del Rio to Brownsville, to ensure families have the essentials they need to care for their children – including hygiene kits, bottled water, warm clothing and COVID-19 prevention materials, such as masks and hand sanitizer.

“Children in these shelters have already faced arduous journeys to seek asylum and safety, and are now experiencing unprecedented winter conditions that have left them without basic necessities, such as heat and water,” said Jeanne-Aimée De Marrais, 91�ֿ�’s senior director for U.S. emergencies. “91�ֿ� is committed to giving these children and their families the support they need, both in the immediate aftermath of this dangerous storm, and long-term.”

In addition, 91�ֿ� will be working with local education partners in Texas to help storm-damaged child care and early learning centers recover.

“In times of emergency, children can begin to cope when they are able to interact with their peers and resume a normal routine," said De Marrais. “That is why it is so important to get these children back into child care or remote learning as safely and as soon as possible. It is essential for them to stay engaged and focused on learning during this stressful time.”

As the national leader in protecting children in emergencies, 91�ֿ� has been supporting children’s most critical needs in emergencies on the Gulf Coast since 2005, including Hurricane Harvey in Texas, where it stayed for years to help children, families and communities recover. 91�ֿ� also has early childhood education programs in Texas, working to help children succeed in school and life.