Situation Dire For Children; Teams Reach Remote Areas
NEW YORK, May 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- UNICEF missions throughout
the flooded regions of Myanmar report that the destruction of homes,
schools and water and sanitation systems are is now affecting the lives and
well-being of 1 million children.
"Myanmar's children have faced enough hardship for a lifetime. It is up
to us to help restore the sense of childhood that all children deserve,"
said Caryl Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "We are getting
children the aid that they need so that they can regain a sense of
normalcy, routine and hope."
In the 14th day after the cyclone struck, UNICEF warns that children
who survived the cyclone are now at increasing risk of disease and of the
consequences of cyclone not receiving timely assistance. Thousands of
children are in temporary shelters under frequent rainstorms, particularly
in the Yangon region.
More than 70 UNICEF assessment and relief missions are in the regions,
distributing essential survival kits, including plastic sheeting for
shelter, water purification materials, medicines and mosquito nets, and
cooking materials.
Current United Nations estimates put the total number of severely
affected people at up to 2.5 million. UNICEF teams report that in the areas
they have visited some 40 percent of those severely affected are children.
If the patterns UNICEF staff are seeing in the devastated areas are
representative, there may be as many as one million children in need of
urgent assistance.
A flight due to land tomorrow -- UNICEF's fourth -- will carry several
tons of therapeutic food for malnourished children. Thirty-four trucks,
small enough to travel safely over the damaged roads and bridges, have been
dispatched throughout the Yangon and Irawaddy districts.
UNICEF has also arranged radio broadcasts to help reunite separated
children with their parents or close family members. Child-friendly spaces
have been set up in several locations, where children can receive
education, psychosocial support and health/nutrition services.
UNICEF is working in close collaboration with the Myanmar Red Cross and
other partners.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help
children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The
world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF
supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality
basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from
violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the
voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and
governments.
SOURCE UNICEF
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Related links:
http://www.unicefusa.org
CONTACT:
Lisa Szarkowski, +1-212-922-2643,
lszarkowski@unicefusa.org, or Richard Alleyne, +1-212-880-9177,
+1-917-509-7742, ralleyne@unicefusa.org, both of U.S. Fund for
UNICEF
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