TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov 9, 2013) - Thousands of schools affected by super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines Aid agency battles for access to Tacloban.

Up to 7,000 schools could have been damaged by super storm Haiyan in the Philippines warns Save the Children as the aid agency battles to reach the hardest hit areas like the city of Tacloban.

"We are very concerned for the poorest and most vulnerable children in some of the hardest hit places like Tacloban where there is likely to be catastrophic damage, especially to the homes of the poorest people who live in buildings made from flimsy materials, " said Save the Children's Country Director in the Philippines, Anna Lindenfors."While the immediate focus must be on saving lives, we are also extremely worried that thousands of schools will have been knocked out of action or badly affected by the typhoon. In the worst hit areas this will have a terrible impact on children's education and it will be important that we help them back to school as quickly as possible."

Save the Children has teams of aid workers in places like Bohol and Iloilo and is now battling to reach Tacloban, which is reported to have been severely affected the typhoon.

"Our aid teams in Bohol and Manila will tomorrow fly to Cebu and then travel by road and ferry to reach Tacloban. When they arrive they will work with our team already on the ground there to meet the basic needs of children such as giving them food and water," added Ms. Lindenfors.

Save the Children has been working in the Philippines since 1981, responding to dozens of emergencies across the country. The aid agency mounted large-scale emergency responses to Typhoon Washi in 2011, as well as Typhoon Bopha and the Manila floods last year.

Help Save the Children restore normalcy and save lives by donating to this emergency: www.savethechildren.ca/helpnow

About Save the Children

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organization for children, delivery programs and improving lives in about 120 countries worldwide. Working toward a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation, Save the Children's mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Learn more at www.savethechildren.ca and www.facebook.com/savethechildren.ca.