French National Committee for Unicef France has extended one million US dollars assistance to support local authorities in protecting and providing services to vulnerable children and their families in earthquake hit areas.
This was informed by Martin Mogwanja, Unicef Pakistan representative here on Thursday in an official meeting. "The French National Committee for Unicef has so far made a contribution of nearly US $6 million for the rehabilitation of quake-hit areas," said Mogwanja adding that this additional contribution of US $1 million will be used for the assistance of 34,000 vulnerable girls and boys and their families in six earthquake-hit districts of the NWFP and AJK.
He said that the contribution would enable Unicef and its partners to continue identifying and linking vulnerable children and their families to appropriate and improved government, non-government organisation and community-based protective services.
"Unicef will also contribute to the strengthening of social welfare policies specifically designed for the children in these areas," he added. Unicef and its partners have so far referred more than 19,000 vulnerable girls and boys to protective services such as legal support, organisations for handicapped, grant schemes and vocational training.
More than 42,000 children lost one or both their parents in the earthquake and thousands more were separated from their families. In addition, thousands of children were injured physically and affected psychologically and around 23,000 acquired long term or permanent disabilities.
These children were particularly vulnerable and at risk of being abused. In the past two years, Unicef, in close collaboration with the relevant authorities, has supported the registration and assisted in the reintegration of 2,600 separated, unaccompanied and orphaned children into their communities.
In addition, more than 17,000 traumatised children were provided psychological support and safe play environments through 133 recreational spaces and the birth registration of over 85,000 children under the ages of five was completed and the children given a birth registration certificate.
"We at Unicef Pakistan are grateful for the strong commitment by the French National Committee for Unicef to assist with the protection needs of hundreds of thousands of children and women in earthquake-hit areas. It is only with continued support like the one received from the French National Committee that Unicef is able to fulfil its mandate, and improve the situation of women and children in Pakistan," said Mogwanja.
In the past two years, Unicef, working with the Government of Pakistan and other partners, has supported the enrolment in government primary schools of more than 464,000 children in six earthquake-hit districts in AJK and NWFP, including nearly 36,200 children, mostly girls, who had never attended school before. More than 4,000 schools in temporary shelters like tents and transitional shelters have been made functional through the provision of shelters, teaching aids, learning materials and teachers.
In addition and in close co-ordination with government partners, Unicef has supported the rehabilitation of 600 water supply schemes serving more than 552,000 people. About 350 water supply schemes that will serve approximately an additional 372,000 people are in progress and are expected to be completed by the end of 2008. Unicef has also supplied safe drinking water and latrines to approximately 302,000 students in over 3,200 schools in earthquake-hit areas in AJK and NWFP.
Overall, health services revitalised through Unicef support serve the needs of approximately 2.3 million people, which represent 66 percent of the total population in quake-hit areas. Unicef also supported the vaccination of 1.1 million children aged six months to 15 years against measles.