UNICEF Chad receives lifesaving supplies to fight COVID-19 with support from the European Union

N’DJAMENA, 26 June 2020 - A plane chartered by UNICEF landed today at N’Djamena airport, Chad, carrying vital health supplies and goods to support the COVID-19 response and the continuity of health services in the country. The shipment includes personal protective equipment, therapeutic milk F75/F100 for children with severe acute malnutrition, essential medicines – all of which are funded by the European Union (EU) - , and vaccines funded by the Government of Chad and The Vaccine Alliance, GAVI. The COVID-19 supplies will be distributed to health centres and hospitals in the most affected areas in Chad, while vaccines will support continuity of routine immunisation services. The therapeutic food will be used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition during this lean season.

“Through its emergency response to the vulnerable population, the EU is providing humanitarian aid to continue to reach the people that need it the most and support the delivery of essential supplies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said David Kerespars, head of the EU’s Humanitarian Aid office in Chad.

“UNICEF is grateful for the partnership with the EU that will help us accompany the Government of Chad and its partners in their response to COVID-19. One of UNICEF's priorities is to support the government in ensuring continuity of critical services to children. The timely arrival of vaccines and therapeutic food will support this goal,” said Viviane Van Steirteghem, UNICEF Representative in Chad. 

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF’s response in Chad focuses on delivering lifesaving health supplies, improving water, sanitation and hygiene as well as infection prevention and control measures.  UNICEF is also providing psychosocial support to affected families and their children, engaging communities with communication activities aimed at preventing the spread of the virus while at the same time ensuring that other critical services for children and women in health facilities continue to be prioritised. 

The European Union is one of the main providers of humanitarian aid in Chad. Since 2013, it has allocated € 379.3 million to humanitarian organizations in the country, including € 30 million in 2020. Priorities include the provision of vital nutritional treatments to malnourished children, as well as basic services essential to internally displaced persons, refugees and the communities hosting them.

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About EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid:

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid.  Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.