More than 38 people lost their lives in the village of Malkan, population 5,000, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan's North West Frontier Province last Oct. 8. Most residents' houses were destroyed or damaged beyond use, while schools crumbled around their students. For children, in particular, the trauma of losing their homes and schools was compounded by the loss of a daily routine of attending classes and playing with friends. As families scrambled to meet emergency needs, their children needed reassurance and a return to a regular schedule.

To provide traumatized children in villages like Malkan with a safe place to interact with their peers under adult supervision, USAID funded a program through implementing partner International Rescue Committee to establish 40 "child-friendly spaces," or child protection centers, across three districts in North West Frontier Province and Kashmir. Most children attend activities for more than three hours a day at the centers, supervised by an adult monitor and two volunteers from within their community. The centers were originally set up in villages where schools had been destroyed. Girls as young as three and up to 18 years can attend activities at the centers, while boys attend until they are 16. Paid between 12,900 rupees ($215) and 4,500 rupees ($75) a month, adult supervisors at-tended a three-day training workshop to introduce them to participatory teaching techniques and to alert them to ways to handle the children's psychological trauma. Their salaries bring much-needed cash into local economies and allow them to meet household needs.

When the centers first started, children hesitated to speak or participate in group activities, said Samina Gul, an IRC child protection manager. Azra Iqbal, a community member who supervises two shifts at the 170-member child center in Malkan, agreed. "In the beginning, the children wouldn't talk. They were totally quiet," Iqbal said. "In the last six months, there has been tremendous improvement in their participation. Without this child-friendly space, these children would be roaming the streets." This USAID program provides training and employment for quake-hit communities while helping 1,720 children recover their routines and find a safe place to interact with other children.