NEW YORK/GENEVA, 13 August 2020 – As schools worldwide struggle with reopening, the latest data from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) reveal that 43 per cent of schools around the world lacked access to basic handwashing with soap and water in 2019 – a key condition for schools to be able to operate safely in the midst of the COVID-…

NEW YORK/ DAMASCUS/AMMAN, 12 August 2020 – “UNICEF is deeply alarmed by reports that eight children under the age of five died in the Al Hol camp in northeastern Syria just in less than a week. “The deaths occurred between 6-10 August. Four of them were caused by malnutrition-related complications. The others were due to dehydration from diarrhoea…

In Ethiopia, UNICEF and partners are working together to ensure children still safely receive vaccinations

How UNICEF has been working with partners to keep children learning through COVID-19

KINSHASA, 11 August 2020 – UNICEF is providing vital assistance to 40,000 displaced people who have fled violence in the South Kivu highlands, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).   More than 40,000 people – including 7,500 children under 5 and more than 1,500 pregnant women – have fled villages in the territories of Uvira, Fizi and…

KATHMANDU, 11 August 2020 – Polio immunization campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the last two polio-endemic countries in the world – months after COVID-19 left 50 million children without their polio vaccine.   In Afghanistan, polio immunization programmes restarted in three provinces in July. A second campaign covering almost…

GENEVA, 11 August  2020 - This is a summary of what was said by Marixie Mercado, UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. We are a long way from having comprehensive figures on deaths and injuries among children. For now, we know of at least three…

Two teenagers in Kenya discuss the lessons and long-term implications of changes prompted by the pandemic

Read more about UNICEF's work in Lebanon

Lebabon explosion, Even before explosions in Beirut on 4 August claimed at least 180 lives and left thousands more injured, Lebanon’s health system was under strain after a surge in COVID-19 cases. Now, with hospitals overwhelmed and front-line workers exhausted, the country is facing a new crisis., Donate now to help children in Lebanon, What's happening, Lebanon. A woman holds her sleeping son. What happened in Beirut? On 4 August, two explosions ripped through the port area of Lebanon’s capital, leaving at least 180 dead and an estimated 6,500 injured. The blasts destroyed and damaged buildings across the city. Six major hospitals and 20 clinics sustained partial or heavy structural damage, while…, How are children and families being affected?, In a rapid needs assessment conducted by UNICEF and partners, which took place between 10 and 17 August, half of the respondents reported that children in their households were showing changes in behaviour or signs of trauma or extreme stress following the explosions., How is UNICEF helping?, Lebanon. UNICEF employees help with the safe transfer of vaccines from a damaged warehouse in the port area of Beirut. UNICEF employees help with the safe transfer of vaccines from a damaged warehouse in the port area of Beirut. UNICEF, together with partners from the Lebanese government, municipalities, local and international NGOs, the private…, How you can help, This catastrophic explosion further worsened the economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic emergency facing the Lebanese people. The needs for children and families are immediate and they are huge. UNICEF is appealing for $46.7 million to help keep children safe, rehabilitate basic essential services, and provide training and resources to equip…