Situation Report: Cyclone Nargis Emergency Response

Immediate needs, UNICEF's actions to date and next steps

NEW YORK (May 13, 2008)—UNICEF's priority is to assist the affected populations in Yangon and Irrawaddy Delta areas, especially the most vulnerable, children and women. Lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation, inadequate shelter and poor nutrition pose particular threats to children. Diarrheal diseases, measles and malaria are the greatest threat to children's lives especially when linked with undernutrition. In a post-natural disaster environment, measles is rapidly contagious and can result in high mortality rates. Malaria is the biggest child-killer in Myanmar in normal times.

UNICEF in action

UNICEF is a well-established presence in Myanmar. It has worked in the country since 1950 and currently has a staff of 131 spread across nine zonal offices and a head office in Yangon. UNICEF staff on the ground are already assisting those most in need. It is anticipated that both staff levels and available supplies will increase within days. The nine field offices are not all located in the affected areas. People have been mobilized from other parts of the country to support the relief efforts. Additional experts are now on the ground, and several others will be deployed in the next few days.
UNICEF is providing water purification tablets, oral rehydration therapies, essential drugs for infectious diseases, mosquito nets, shelter equipment, family survival kits, special food and liquids for malnourished children.
On May 9, a Thai Airways plane carrying UNICEF emergency supplies landed in Yangon, carrying three million water purification tablets.
On May 10, UNICEF's Supply Division packed another order for Myanmar, including 30 emergency health kits that will provide drugs, medical supplies, and basic medical equipment for 300,000 persons for 3 months. Other medical supplies, including intravenous glucose, thermometers, masks and gloves were also on the flight.
Another shipment of nutrition supplies were flown from Paris, via KLM on May 11, including fortified therapeutic milk. A charter flight from Dubai with 550 UNICEF family water kits combined with a UNHCR shipment will arrive in Yangon on May 13. Another flight arriving on May 13 will be carrying 32 tons of provisions including 20 large tents and essential drugs, e.g. ORS.
Clean water and safe hygiene systems are the most critical needs, and must be put into place as soon as possible. UNICEF is constructing latrines and digging wells in the hardest hit areas.
UNICEF's role in emergencies is also to protect children and women from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. With its partners, UNICEF is facilitating the identification of separated (still with a family member) and unaccompanied children (totally alone), as well as reunification.
In any situation where you have children living under extremely stressful conditions, both physically and mentally, it is important for their welfare that they are provided with "child-friendly spaces" where they feel safe and cared for—where they can begin to return a little bit to normal life. UNICEF has commenced setting up child-friendly spaces in the camps housing displaced populations.
Child-friendly spaces can also serve as makeshift schools while UNICEF and its partners work on the massive task of restoring the school system. School year begins on June 1. According to UNICEF, up to 90 percent of the schools in the affected areas have been damaged to some degree. This adds up to some 3,000 schools and more than 500,000 pupils.