UNICEF asks Thai public to support Myanmar cyclone relief
BANGKOK, 12 May 2008 – The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is appealing to the Thai public to support its emergency relief efforts for children and families affected by the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar by responding to its global appeal. UNICEF has issued a global appeal for $25.57 million over the next six months to assist survivors of the cyclone, the worst natural disaster to hit Myanmar in modern history. It is now estimated that between 1.6 million and 2.5 million people are in dire need of emergency assistance. Former Thai Prime Minister Khun Anand, the UNICEF Thailand Goodwill Ambassador, said: “When the tsunami struck Thailand in 2004, people from around the world donated funds to UNICEF to help children affected by the disaster. It is now the turn of the people of Thailand to support UNICEF in helping the children who so desperately need our help in Myanmar.” On May 9, UNICEF delivered 3 million water purification tablets to Yangon aboard a Thai Airways plane. The tablets can purify five million litres of contaminated water, enough for the needs of 200,000 people for one week. UNICEF has also been distributing additional water purification supplies, essential drugs, shelter materials, supplementary food for children and other emergency relief material flown into Myanmar by UNICEF transport planes over the past few days.
Immediately after the cyclone struck, UNICEF began distributing over $900,000 of pre-positioned emergency supplies to the hardest hit areas of the country. These supplies included family health kits with medicine for 155,000 people, essential drug kits for hospitals, oral rehydration salts to treat diarrhoea, shelter materials and mosquito nets, and family kits containing cooking and cleaning supplies and water containers. UNICEF also purchased locally another $2.2 million of emergency relief supplies ranging from shelter materials to buckets and soap for distribution to affected families. But with 1.6 million to 2.5 million now estimated to be affected and in need of assistance, the available supplies still fall far short of needs. UNICEF is especially concerned about the impact of bad water on the health of children affected by the cyclone, who due to poor sanitation, inadequate shelter and poor nutrition are already vulnerable to disease and hunger. UNICEF health workers in Myanmar estimate that 20 per cent of children in the worst affected areas already have diarrhoea, a major killer of children in emergencies. UNICEF has been working in Myanmar since 1950, and in addition to over 140 staff now in country working to bring assistance to affected children, it has strong networks with government agencies and NGOs. As a result, UNICEF has been able to reach out to tens of thousands of children and their families with critical life-saving provisions. To support UNICEF emergency relief in Myanmar: For more information on making a donation, please call 02 356 9299. For more information, please contact:
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