UNICEF Appeals for US$ 51 Million to Meet Urgent Needs of Children in Côte d’Ivoire and LiberiaWomen and Children make up 60 percent of Ivorians displaced by post-election crisis GENEVA, Switzerland & ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, 18 March 2011 – UNICEF is appealing for US$ 51 million to meet the rapidly growing humanitarian needs of children and families devastated by the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire.At least 60 per cent of the more than 300,000 Ivorians who have been internally displaced by ongoing violence and 85 per cent of the 90,000 refugees, who have fled to neighboring Liberia, are women and children. In any emergency, children are the most vulnerable. Over the next three months, this critically needed funding will help UNICEF continue to provide lifesaving emergency supplies and services to the increasing number of children affected by the crisis. UNICEF is currently on the ground in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia working to ensure that children are protected from violence, that they have continued access to health services and are able to go to school during what continues to be a volatile political situation. Through UNICEF support in Côte d’Ivoire to date, over 1.7 million children aged between 6 months and 5 years have been vaccinated against measles and other illnesses; thousands of children have been screened for malnutrition; and some 20,000 children have been provided with education materials. In Liberia’s Nimba County, UNICEF has targeted all children with a measles vaccination campaign and has improved access to clean water and sanitation in communities hosting refugee populations. For more information, please contact:
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