'Unicef to help displaced children in flood-hit areas'

Unicef will work with the non governmental, governmental and United Nations agencies to respond to the needs of the displaced children living in camps and host communities especially in flood areas. Talking to newsmen on Friday an official of Unicef said that Unicef would support community based early recovery activities.
He said Unicef's focus would be on ensuring access to health and nutrition care, safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, a safe learning environment and strengthened child protection networks. He said vaccination campaigns would ensure immunisation of children aged between nine months and 13 years against measles in five vulnerable districts, while women of childbearing age would be vaccinated against tetanus and benefit from improved access to maternal and child health-care.
Community-based management of acute malnutrition would be expanded to treat children under five and pregnant and lactating women, he added. He said Unicef would support the introduction of inter-agency surveys and surveillance systems in affected areas.
To a question, he said host communities would benefit from sufficient water supply and sanitation facilities through the installation of water systems and latrines, including at schools and health centres, and the distribution of hygiene kits.
He said working in collaboration with the Department of Education, NGOs and parent-teacher associations, Unicef aimed at getting maximum boys and girls back to school or enrolled for the first time. "This will be achieved through rehabilitation of primary schools equipped with appropriate learning materials and the training of teachers in education in emergencies, measures designed to improve learning environments and to deliver psychosocial support to children," he added.
He said Unicef would also work to protect children and women from abuse, exploitation, trafficking, separation and institutionalisation by facilitating access to protective and reintegration services and by training staff of child protection centres and NGOs in psychosocial support. "Unicef will also reduce vulnerability and exposure to HIV in camps and areas of return by screening women for HIV at Preventing-Parent-to-Child- Transmission sites and specialist paediatric units."