UNICEF takes the lead in coordinating emergency response on three major areas: Nutrition, Water and Sanitation, and Education.
NUTRITION
In the aftermath of the super typhoon and floods, many children are without shelter and food. Children and their families remain exposed to harmful elements in the environment. Attention to health care and nutrition may be compromised. Thus, UNICEF provideS interventions to control diarrhea and arrest malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
KEY ACTIONS
- Provide interventions against malnutrition;
- Promote and support breastfeeding;
- Provide tools for weight monitoring and micronutrient control
WATER AND SANITATION
Water and sanitation systems were severely damaged after the storm. Faced with water shortages, people often resort to unsafe sources, placing their health at great risk. The lack of sanitation facilities means that hazardous waste is left out in the open where it can breed disease. Dysentery and other water-borne diseases pose a particularly grave risk to children.
KEY ACTIONS
- Provide immediately safe water sources;
- Repair and rehabilitate damaged water supply systems and sanitation facilities in affected communities and schools.
EDUCATION
UNICEF’s long experience in disasters has demonstrated that returning children to school as quickly as possible is one of the most valuable emergency interventions that can take place. But many of the schools in the affected areas are turned into evacuation centers, disrupting basic education processes. Education is key to children’s long-term opportunities, and must not be interrupted. In addition, schools provide children with a sense of normalcy, which is crucial to their psychological well-being.
KEY ACTIONS
- Re-build schools and classrooms ;
- Provide school supplies;
- Conduct psycho-social debriefing for teachers and students .
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