Kyrgyzstan faces acute humanitarian needsBISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - 12 January, 2009 Kyrgyzstan faces acute humanitarian needs caused by depletion of the country’s hydroelectric resources as well as soaring food and fuel prices. Based on assessments, an estimated 800,000 people are considered specifically vulnerable including children living in streets, children in institutions, children from poor families and children with disabilities. The UN in the Kyrgyz Republic and the Kyrgyzstan Government initiated a 20 million US dollar flash appeal with twofold objectives: firstly, to respond pro-actively to actual and imminent humanitarian needs, focusing on the most vulnerable groups or social service institutions (like hospitals and orphanages) between December 2008 and May 2009. Secondly, the objectives include supporting urgent effective implementation of priority interventions of the Country Development Strategy, including linkages between humanitarian assistance and early recovery actions. Activities will be carried out in the food, health, water and sanitation, shelter and child protection and education sectors. UNICEF takes over a leadership in water, sanitation and hygiene, child protection and education areas. It will also support procurement and stockpiling of flu vaccines. For more information, please contact: Galina Solodunova
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