“UNICEF’s first line of action is to give potable water and improve sanitation to reduce the risk of diarrhea epidemics,” said Annamaria Laurini, UNICEF Representative in Haiti. “We will also launch a public outreach campaign to call on the population and the authorities to respect children’s rights during this crisis,” she added.
The emergency supplies received include hygiene kits, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, blankets, school kits, and additional items to help the victims.
So far, UNICEF has assisted more than 35,000 victims with pre-positioned stocks that are now running empty given the magnitude of the crisis. The airlifted cargo will also allow UNICEF to replenish its stocks to stand ready for the rest of the hurricane season.
Collapsed bridges and landslides on the roads have slowed down the delivery of assistance.
All over the country, schools and churches have been transformed into shelters, each of them housing several hundred families and resembling beehives with children running around and brightly-colored clothes hung out to dry everywhere, contrasting with the muddy water that covered most of the view as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, it is women and children who are the most venerable to diseases when sanitary conditions deteriorate and to violence and looting during distributions.
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.
For further information, please contact:
Annamaria Laurini, Representative, UNICEF Haiti, Telephone: +509 2245-3525, Email: alaurini@unicef.org
Louis-Etienne Vigneault-D., Communication Officer, UNICEF Haiti,
Mobile: +509 3463 0056, Email: lvigneault@unicef.org
Patrick McCormick, UNICEF New York, Tel: +2 12 326 7452, pmccormick@unicef.org
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