Statement by UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, on the flooding in Pakistan
GENEVA /NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD (August 20, 2010) — "Mothers fleeing flooded homes with nothing but their babies clinging to their backs; people waving for help from the top of stranded buses as the waters rise around them; desperately thirsty children drinking from contaminated water sources. The humanitarian tragedy in Pakistan has reached tragic proportions. But serious shortfalls in funding are limiting our ability to save lives as the crisis worsens.
The scale of the disaster in Pakistan caused by heavy monsoon rains and floods is massive. One-fifth of the country is now underwater, and entire villages have been swept away. Some 900,000 dwellings have been damaged or destroyed. 15.4 million people have been affected by the floods.
The consequences of the flooding for Pakistan's poorest and most vulnerable people are very serious. And the most vulnerable of all, the children, are at the greatest risk. Unless the world responds immediately, more and more of the 3.5 million children affected by the floods will be at risk of contracting deadly water-borne diseases like dysentery, diarrhea and cholera.
Together with our partners, UNICEF is currently supplying clean water to some 1.5 million people every day, and re-uniting separated children with their families. We are working with WHO to ward off serious health threats by vaccinating thousands of children in receiving centers and camps, and we are working alongside WFP to distribute supplementary high energy food to children under five.
But these efforts are insufficient to meet even the current needs of millions of displaced families. With floodwaters rising, evacuations continuing and more rains expected, the potential for even greater tragedy grows by the minute.
The need for greatly increased support could not be more urgent. Once the most pressing needs are met, significant and sustained support will help to rebuild schools, restore infrastructure and re-establish child protection measures. But first, we must save lives.
UNICEF urges the global donor community to help us protect the children of Pakistan and to ensure that the floods which have destroyed their homes do not also destroy their futures."
How to help
For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution please contact the U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Website: www.unicefusa.org/pakistan
Toll free: 1-800-FOR-KIDS (1-800-367-5437)
Text: Text "FLOODS" to 864233 (UNICEF) to donate $10
Mail: 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
About UNICEF
UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.
UNICEF is at the forefront of efforts to reduce child mortality worldwide. There has been substantial progress: the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8.8 million in 2008. But still, 24,000 children die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
For additional information, please contact:
Lauren Monahan, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.880.9136, lmonahan@unicefusa.org
Marci Greenberg, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2464, mgreenberg@unicefusa.org
Kiní Schoop, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2634,
kschoop@unicefusa.org
Lisa Szarkowski, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2643,
lszarkowski@unicefusa.org
