|
|
|
Press Release
UNICEF delivers drugs to quake area, assesses impact
on children
$8 Million for Preventing Disease, Helping
Families Survive
Read the 29 January Emergency
Update on
UNICEF humanitarian action and the
27 January Press Release.
Monday, 29 January 2001: The United Nations Children's Fund has committed
itself to at least $8 million in immediate assistance for the earthquake-stricken
Indian state of Gujarat, where the relief effort is now focusing on
helping families who survived the quake survive its aftermath.
As the death toll from the quake exceeds 20,000, according to official
estimates, the needs of survivors are growing daily. At
least 100,000 people are believed to be in need of immediate relief
including water, food, shelter, and protection from disease. UNICEF
staff on the ground said electricity was limited in many hard-hit areas,
and reported urgent needs for blankets, tents and drinking water.
UNICEF has committed itself to providing at least $8 million in new
aid, including $2 million for family survival kits and nearly $5 million
for medical supplies and the provision of safe water. Also in the immediate
term, UNICEF expects to spend at least $2 million for schools and teaching
supplies, supporting government efforts to focus on education as a way
of helping children cope with the disaster.
On Sunday UNICEF delivered $100,000 in medical supplies to Gujarat,
including critical drugs. An additional $600,000 in basic medical supplies
is on the way. Earlier in the weekend UNICEF delivered tens of thousands
of blankets, about a million chlorine tablets for purifying water, and
plastic sheeting for temporary shelter.
Since early Sunday morning UNICEF staff based
in Gujarat have been conducting a rapid needs assessment throughout
the State. The UNICEF staff
are teaming with representatives from the World Health Organization,
the UN Population Fund, and the UN Disaster Management Team to conducts
the sweeps through the hardest hit areas. The teams have completed two
full days in the field and will continue through Wednesday. Preliminary
estimates of basic needs - shelter, medicines, water, sanitation, as
well as the loss of schools - should be available Thursday.
UNICEF said these actions were just the beginning
of its support for the relief effort. Over the next two weeks UNICEF
will also be working closely with state and national officials to sustain
immunization coverage and provide trauma counseling training to teachers
and others who work closely with children.
UNICEF said its family survival kit - produced locally in India - cost
about $43 apiece, providing displaced families with critical items such
as:
§ cooking utensils
§ blankets
§ clothing (dhoti, saree, lungi, children's garments, etc.)
§ oral re-hydration salts to fight diarrhea
§ chlorine tablets to purify water
§ soaps, bucket, and other hygiene items
§ candles and kerosene lanterns
UNICEF emphasized that Gujarat has suffered
from severe drought conditions over the past two years, meaning water
supplies are already tight. A
drought mitigation and drought-proofing programme that had been prepared
the state authorities with the assistance of UNICEF and other agencies
in recent weeks will be accelerated as part of the quake relief effort.
Safe water and sanitation systems will be essential in the coming days
to prevent the spread of disease.
UNICEF is presently basing its operations from the UNICEF office in
the state capital of Gandhinagar, about 25 miles north of Ahmadabad.
About 15 UNICEF staff members and their families are presently sheltering
in the office.
There are many ways you can support these important relief efforts.
If you live in the US and wish to make a contribution, visit the US
Fund for UNICEF website. If you live outside the US, please see
our list of UNICEF National Committees
in 37 countries, or click here for a list of links to their online
appeals. Or, if your country does not have a UNICEF National Committee,
you can make a general contribution through this website at www.supportunicef.org
* * *
For further information, please
contact:
Alfred Ironside, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7261
aironside@unicef.org
Lynn Geldof, UNICEF Media, Geneva (4122) 909-5531
lgeldof@unicef.org
UNICEF continues its work in Gujarat
Thurs., 24 January 2002
In India, young earthquake
survivors return to school Thurs,14 June 2001
Immunizations begin in quake zone Tues, 13 February
2001
UNICEF wary of post-quake international adoptions
Fri, 9 February 2001
Comments by Maria Calvis,
UNICEF, from Gujarat Tuesday, 6 February 2001
Half of all schools damaged or destroyed in
India quake zone Mon, 5 February 2001
Emergency Update, Monday,
29 January 2001
UNICEF delivers drugs to quake area, assesses
impact on children Mon, 29 Jan. 2001
On the ground in India, UNICEF responds to
quake Sat, 27 January 2001
|
|
