The long road back to normal: helping children in disaster hit Asia-Pacific

NEW YORK (October 23, 2009) —  The series of natural disasters that struck the Asia–Pacific region earlier this month have affected nearly 9.8 million people—more than 3.8 million of the affected are children. Typhoons and floods in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, as well as earthquakes in Bhutan, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands (resulting in a  tsunami) have left families suffering from an alarming lack of access to safe water, food, blankets and clothing in all seven countries. 

In flood-affected areas, children are facing risks from communicable diseases as a result of  long exposure to the elements. Children are also unable to attend school—an important component to restoring a sense of normalcy in the wake of disasters—as hundreds of schools have been destroyed and others are being used as temporary shelters in all crisis-affected areas. 

UNICEF is providing immediate lifesaving assistance to children and women in all seven countries and taking steps to help life return to normal as quickly as possible. Working with governments and civil society partners to provide relief efforts in all countries, UNICEF is leading the efforts in providing: 

• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Education in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Samoa
• Child protection coordination in the Philippines and Indonesia

UNICEF is also supporting efforts to provide food and nutrition in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands.

In addition to providing immediate relief response in the Asia-Pacific Regions, UNICEF is supporting longterm recovery efforts of affected families. 

Philippines

© UNICEF Philippines/2009/Alquinto

Families displaced by Tropical Storm Ondoy in Pasig City, Manila, the Philippines. 

UNICEF Philippines Chief of Health and Nutrition Dr. Marinus Gotink discusses recent flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ondoy.

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With approximately 6 million people in the Philippines affected by floods of which 2.5 million are children— UNICEF's highest priority in the country right now is providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene to stave off water-borne diseases. 

UNICEF has provided 135,000 families in evacuation centers access to safe water through distribution of water family kits, water purification tablets, jerry cans, water tanks and hygiene materials including soap, buckets and educational materials containing hygiene messages in local languages. UNICEF plans to distribute additional emergency health kits to address the needs of 500,000 people in the evacuation centers.

Since the onset of the emergency, UNICEF has partnered with the Department of Social Welfare to put in place a system of registering unaccompanied and separated minors and aims to reach at least 50,000 children with psychosocial support and activities. UNICEF will work with communities and partners to establish community-based protection systems in at least 100 communities. Another key target is to restore education opportunities for at least 20,000 preschool and school-aged children within metro Manila. 

Vietnam

Typhoon Ketsana affected 3 million people in Vietnam with approximately 1 million of the affected being children. Lack of drinking water, poor nutrition, environmental pollution and damaged sanitation facilities have contributed to a tenfold increase of hospitalized patients with flu, diarrhea and eye infections. Water, sanitation, hygiene and education continue being priority areas for UNICEF in Vietnam. To date UNICEF's efforts include:

• Delivering six tons of PuR (water purifier sachets) to 11 affected provinces
• Procuring 20 tons chloramines B for cleaning 100,000 contaminated wells 
• Procuring four million aqua tabs tablets to provide safe drinking water to 200,000 families for 20 days
• Distributing educational materials for 5,000 children aged 3-5, 3,500 primary school children, 2,500 middle school children and 300 teachers.

Cambodia

Although a number of schools remain under water, plans are underway to resume normal operations by the end of October and return nearly 36,119 students to school. To continue addressing needs despite closed health centers, health center staff provided health and hygiene education on the use of oral re-hydration salts (ORS) to prevent diarrhea.

Lao People's Democratic Republic

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, UNICEF's initial emergency response included:

• Delivering chlorine tablets and soap to last 12,000 people two weeks
• Rehabilitation of hand pumps and bore holes to restore safe water supply
• Distribution of water containers to improve water supply for 8,500 families 
• Hygiene education materials distributed through local partners

UNICEF also provided preventative and curative health outreach services to women and children in 159 villages including vaccinations, Vitamin A, de-worming distribution and medical treatment. 2,000 insecticide-treated bed nets are also being procured for distribution to prevent malaria.

To ensure schooling continues in a safe and protective environment UNICEF will replace damaged school supplies. A community-based program for preventing abuse of children without parental supervision is expected to reach 20,000 children and their families in affected areas.

Samoa

In Samoa, UNICEF's prioritizing restoration of waterlines in the affected areas to ensure families have access to safe drinking water. UNICEF has distributed 3,500 water containers as well as soap and is expecting shortly to distribute water purifying tablets. Hygiene promotion messages, Early Childhood Education kits and Enhanced Education kits are also being distributed.

Many children lost their school uniform during the Tsunami along with everything else in their possession. UNICEF is working with the Ministry of Education to ensure that they are equipped with a new uniform. In addition 20 tents for use as temporary school buildings will be provided to those schools hosting the affected students.

Bhutan

Within 48 hours of the earthquake in Bhutan, the first UNICEF consignment of relief materials—consisting of 1,000 blankets, 150 tarpaulins and 23 tents— were dispatched to the two most affected centers. UNICEF further provided 500 Emergency Family Kits consisting of cooking utensils and jerry cans. These kits are essential in ensuring preparation of properly cooked food and boiled water to reduce risk of diarrhea and other infectious diseases.

In the coming weeks additional school-in-a-box kits and school tents will be provided. Community-based management of severe malnutrition, including provision of ready-to-use therapeutic foods will also be supported. Emergency water kits with a collapsible water tank, bucket, soap and water purification tablets are being procured and hygiene education is being provided.

Indonesia

© UNICEF/2009/Estey

A teacher and three classes of students inside a UNICEF-provided school tent in Padang, in the Indonesia province of West Sumatra. Over the past two days UNICEF has distributed 15 tents with another 228 being rushed to the area as authorities aim to re-start schooling less than a week after the September 30 earthquake.

In Indonesia, UNICEF is participating in an Action Plan. UNICEF's areas of support include Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Health, Nutrition , Education, Child Protection, Communication and Advocacy and Coordination and Logistics. UNICEF's initial response includes:

• Ensuring 50,000 families have access to safe drinking water
• A measles vaccination campaign covering at least 30,000 children
• Working with partners to counsel pregnant and lactating mothers and train 100 medical students, nurses and midwives
• Training health workers and community members on child nutrition
• Providing 250 school tents, 60 School-in-a Box and 60 recreation kits to help nearly 70,000 children to return to school 
• Further provision to supply 700 school tents, 1,000 sets of teaching-learning materials, 400 recreation kits and 400 early childhood development kits 
• Full registration of all children who have lost or been separated from their parents to ensure that all necessary measures have been taken for their protection 
  

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