UNICEF appeals for US $ 50.3 million to cover needs of children

Wednesday, 12 October 2011 20:45

Posted by Asad Naeem

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ISLAMABAD: The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has appealed to international community for US $ 50.3 million to cover the immediate needs of children and women hit by the recent flood in the country.

A UNICEF official told APP on Wednesday that additional relief supplies for health, nutrition and water are urgently needed, which cannot be purchased without additional funds.

He said UNICEF is facing lack of funds as it has scaled up humanitarian assistance to meet the basic needs of thousands of displaced children and women in flood hit areas.

He said the monsoon floods have struck the Sindh province for the second consecutive year. UNICEF and its partners are now reaching hundreds of thousands of families with life-saving assistance.

UNICEF has only received limited funds while its water trucking programme alone costs US $ 600,000 per month, he said.

To a question, he said UNICEF and its partners have now established 23 new centres for the mal-nourished children in the affected districts.

He said UNICEF has been supporting some 100 mobile immunization teams of Health Department to administer anti-polio and measles vaccines to children at relief sites.

UNICEF also has set up 900 temporary learning centres for 45,000 children, he added.

To another question he said UNICEF is already providing critical humanitarian assistance but requires additional resources in order to deliver.