BEIRUT: The United Nations Children's Fund announced Friday that it would spend $11.5 million this winter to help Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian children in Lebanon survive the cold.
UNICEF released a statement stating that it had reached over 75,000 children in the vulnerable areas of Lebanon with aid during the last three weeks, and treated 1,600 children with weather-related health issues during the past 72 hours alone.
The statement was released in light of the violent snowstorm that has left many areas of Lebanon burried under thick layers of snow, while the most affected were Syrian refugees in makeshift tents.
“Our teams and local implementing partners have been working around the clock to address the impact of the storm on the most vulnerable children and families,” said Annamaria Laurini, UNICEF representative in Lebanon.
“Every single effort needs to be made immediately to avoid unnecessary tragedies that could be prevented.”
The statement said UNICEF Lebanon and its partners had distributed since mid-December some 70,000 winter kits with clothes to help keep children warm, including 22,000 in Arsal, 42,000 in the Bekaa Valley, as well as in the north and the south. In addition, 8,000 tarpaulins and 400 drainage kits have benefited some 20,000 people.
Additional winter kits, blankets, tarpaulins, boxes of high energy biscuits, jerry cans, sanitation/drainage kits and women’s clothes will be distributed over the next two days, it added.
As part of its $11.5 million winter program, UNICEF promised to reach 160,000 children with winter clothes kits, 135,000 children with clothing vouchers, 155,000 children will benefit from fuel for heating in 583 public schools, 6,500 children from flood mitigation measures in informal settlements.
No comments:
Post a Comment