UNICEF/WFP Chiefs call for renewed support to Pakistan’s flood victims
Islamabad, PAKISTAN (August 31, 2010) — The Executive Directors of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) today called on the international community to step up their support for the victims of the ongoing floods in Pakistan.
Anthony Lake of UNICEF and Josette Sheeran of WFP made their call following a joint visit to operations in the Muzzafargarh district of Punjab, one of the worst affected parts of the country.
"There is a triple threat unfolding as this crisis widens and deepens," said Sheeran. "People have lost seeds, crops and their incomes leaving them vulnerable to hunger, homelessness and desperation—the situation is extremely critical. We urgently need continued and strengthened commitment to the people of Pakistan in this time of crisis."
While in the field, the two agency heads visited a school which has been turned into an emergency relief center, where UNICEF hygiene kits were being handed out to families hit by the floods.
They also saw a WFP food distribution that included specialized ready-to-eat foods for infants and young children, designed to prevent the early ravages of malnutrition. WFP has reached three quarters of a million children with nutritious food supplements and nearly 3 million people with a one-month food ration. Malnutrition rates in the flood zone were high before the surge of water displaced millions, leaving young children even more at risk to water-borne diseases.
"What I saw today has convinced me that we must step up our humanitarian operations to stave off a potential second wave of disease and misery for millions of families, especially the most vulnerable, children and women,” said Lake. "We are here today and for the long-term, as we plan for the early recovery phase of the operation."
UNICEF is currently reaching around two million people with clean water every day and through hygiene supplies and assistance in sanitation, is working to prevent serious outbreaks of disease.
While WFP and UNICEF are focused on saving lives as people continue to flee the floodwaters, both agencies have already begun projects to repair tube wells and other important infrastructure, as well as assisting farmers in their first efforts to return to their land and prepare the upcoming planting season.
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:
Kiní Schoop, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, (212) 922-2634, kschoop@unicefusa.org
Lisa Szarkowski, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 9212) 922-2643, lszarkowski@unicefusa.org
