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Press CentreBriefing note14 April 2003: What UNICEF said at the UN briefingUNICEF in northern Iraq is also resuming its School Health Programme, and will be checking children to ensure that their health needs are being met. Statement made by Geoffrey Keele
AMMAN, 14 April 2003 - Good afternoon All schools in the three northern governorates of Dohuk, Erbil and Suleimaniyah have reopened, and classes have resumed. This is a very important first step in creating a sense of normalcy in these chaotic times. UNICEF in northern Iraq is also resuming its School Health Programme, and will be checking children to ensure that there health needs are being met. At the same time, UNICEF is conducting assessments of schools that were used by Iraqi troops to ensure that they are safe for the children to return to. Encouraged by the rapid developments in the whole country, the majority of Internally Displaced Person (IDP) families have returned to their homes. UNICEF estimates that roughly 3,000 IDPS remain in the north, down from 300,000 at the height of the conflict. The relative stability of the north contrasts with the lawlessness in other parts of the country. In the 15 governorates of the south and centre of the country, schools remain closed, further delaying a stable environment for children where they can begin to deal with the trauma they have suffered. In Umm Qasr, UNICEF and volunteers have begun screening children for malnutrition at Community Child Care Units. UNICEF has been able to locate many of the old volunteers who staffed these centres prior to the outbreak of hostilities. New volunteers are also being trained. This is an extremely important development. For aid to be effective, we need counterparts on the ground. With the disintegration of the Ba'ath party structure and the looting which has left skeletons of vital social infrastructure, the rejuvenation of these centres is a positive sign that the human resources needed to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraq's children are starting to re-emerge. A further assessment will take place this week in Az Zubair to locate more volunteers so we can get the CCCUs there up and running as well. These centres are also extremely important now because we are seeing a sharp increase in the cases of young children suffering from diarrhea, which leads directly to malnutrition. By reaching these children early, we have the chance to provide them with the care they need to recover. Without the CCCUs, and in these conditions, diarrhea can kill. UNICEF has sent 10,000 sachets of ORS to Nasriya today responding to requests from doctors. Like Umm Qasr, Nasiriya has seen a big increase in cases of diarrhea among children under the age of 5 in recent days. For further information please contact us:. Geoffrey Keele, UNICEF Iraq:
gkeele@unicef.org For interviews in the region, write or call directly to the UNICEF NewsDesk in Amman: (962-79) 50422058 |
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