UNICEF flood response focus on children, women
Friday, 10 August 2007
SIRAJGANJ, Aug 9 (UNB): UNICEF has joined the United Nations response efforts to the floods in Bangladesh.
US$ 3.6 million supply assistance is being provided through relevant government ministries for improving health, nutrition, water and sanitation for flood affected children and families.
This assistance includes $1.8 million worth of pre-positioned items with funding support from UK's DFID, the Netherlands, Canada and UNICEF National Committees, said a UNICEF press release.
The effects of the flood situation as well as the level of response vary from one district to another. However, it is evident that in the worst affected districts, the dire impacts of the floods are largely borne by children and women.
UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Louis-Georges Arsenault, now on a two-day visit to the flood affected Sirajganj and Tangail districts, said: "It is critical to recognize that children and women, especially children of female headed households, are the most affected by the floods."
"The government is carrying on efforts to reach the most needy, but the scale of the disaster makes response efforts extremely challenging given the difficulties in accessing remote areas and limitations in logistics," he added.
He continued: "Our assessment of the situation confirms that there are some very specific needs such as for special nutrient for children, pregnant and lactating women - which must continue to be addressed."
Arsenault held discussions with the DC, UNO, NGO workers and affected people of Sirajganj on the state of the floods as well as the response.
Children in the flood-hit areas are suffering from hunger, mal-nourishment and lack of safety. Reports show 117 deaths caused by drowning in the flood-affected areas, and most of these are children.
Thanks to widespread availability of ORS, diarrhoea has not caused any deaths to date even though 15,000 cases have been reported. Additionally, the chances for children soon returning to school have become uncertain as 8,015 primary schools have been affected by the floods and 7,780 are closed.
UNICEF with Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) had pre-positioned 10 mobile Water Treatment Plants that are now deployed and working full time to serve people especially in the urban centres. Each plant is capable of treating 2,000 litres of water per hour.
Water from the plants are also being transported to places where flood water is stagnant; 15 million water purification tablets delivered to DPHE are currently being distributed.
Lessons from 2004 floods have enabled UNICEF to launch an immediate response through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, DPHE and NGOs with the items pre-positioned.
The distributed items include 1,000 family kits, 22,000 plastic sheets, and 63.7 tons BP5 biscuits for children, pregnant and lactating women distributed in Sirajganj, Kurigram, Tangail and Jamalpur. Essential drugs and 200,000 IV saline were delivered to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
UNICEF is working in close partnership with WFP to conduct relief operations. The agency will continue to respond to requests from the counterpart government ministries.
It also plans to strengthen assistance to the government's post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts based on needs-assessment done by the government and other partners; and in association with UNICEF headquarters.
US$ 3.6 million supply assistance is being provided through relevant government ministries for improving health, nutrition, water and sanitation for flood affected children and families.
This assistance includes $1.8 million worth of pre-positioned items with funding support from UK's DFID, the Netherlands, Canada and UNICEF National Committees, said a UNICEF press release.
The effects of the flood situation as well as the level of response vary from one district to another. However, it is evident that in the worst affected districts, the dire impacts of the floods are largely borne by children and women.
UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Louis-Georges Arsenault, now on a two-day visit to the flood affected Sirajganj and Tangail districts, said: "It is critical to recognize that children and women, especially children of female headed households, are the most affected by the floods."
"The government is carrying on efforts to reach the most needy, but the scale of the disaster makes response efforts extremely challenging given the difficulties in accessing remote areas and limitations in logistics," he added.
He continued: "Our assessment of the situation confirms that there are some very specific needs such as for special nutrient for children, pregnant and lactating women - which must continue to be addressed."
Arsenault held discussions with the DC, UNO, NGO workers and affected people of Sirajganj on the state of the floods as well as the response.
Children in the flood-hit areas are suffering from hunger, mal-nourishment and lack of safety. Reports show 117 deaths caused by drowning in the flood-affected areas, and most of these are children.
Thanks to widespread availability of ORS, diarrhoea has not caused any deaths to date even though 15,000 cases have been reported. Additionally, the chances for children soon returning to school have become uncertain as 8,015 primary schools have been affected by the floods and 7,780 are closed.
UNICEF with Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) had pre-positioned 10 mobile Water Treatment Plants that are now deployed and working full time to serve people especially in the urban centres. Each plant is capable of treating 2,000 litres of water per hour.
Water from the plants are also being transported to places where flood water is stagnant; 15 million water purification tablets delivered to DPHE are currently being distributed.
Lessons from 2004 floods have enabled UNICEF to launch an immediate response through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, DPHE and NGOs with the items pre-positioned.
The distributed items include 1,000 family kits, 22,000 plastic sheets, and 63.7 tons BP5 biscuits for children, pregnant and lactating women distributed in Sirajganj, Kurigram, Tangail and Jamalpur. Essential drugs and 200,000 IV saline were delivered to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
UNICEF is working in close partnership with WFP to conduct relief operations. The agency will continue to respond to requests from the counterpart government ministries.
It also plans to strengthen assistance to the government's post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts based on needs-assessment done by the government and other partners; and in association with UNICEF headquarters.