Children in Nuwakot participated in a three kilometre race on Saturday to raise awareness on health of children below five years and to revitalise health services in earthquake-affected districts.

Around 150 children from 11 schools participated in the race. According to Save the Children, they also called on government and other stakeholders to rebuild health facilities to ensure quality health services to promote safe motherhood and child health.

Owing to the earthquake, only six of the total 76 public health facilities are operational in the district now. Lack of sufficient human resources in the health centres is another problem which makes it difficult for people to receive even basic health services.

“With so much of the population in Nuwakot still left in a lurch after the earthquake, we need to pursue our ultimate goal of saving the lives of children and their families even more fiercely. We hope that this advocacy through child participation will help make the problems of the district become more pronounced at the national level,” said Delailah Borja, Save the Children country director in Nepal.

More than one million children and 1.5 million women of reproductive age have been affected by the earthquake in the country.

Similarly, in an interaction following the race, children urged local bodies to provide them psychological counseling to help cope with the aftereffects of the quakes.