As flood victims struggle with the devastation caused by monsoons, UNICEF sends medical aid to the country’s government to help the millions of children in need of assistance.
By Francesca Merlo
The people of Pakistan continue to suffer the devastating consequences of floods, after heavy monsoon rains left a third of the country underwater. Over 33 million people have been affected, half of these are children, of whom at least 3.4 million are in need of immediate life-saving support.
UNICEF has reacted to the emergency by delivering 32 tonnes of life-saving medical supplies and other emergency aid to help children and women affected. This shipment includes medicine, medical supplies, water purification tablets, safe delivery kits, and therapeutic food supplements.
The aid, delivered to the government of Pakistan, will be sent immediately to the children and families who need it most in some of the 72 worst affected districts.
Abdullah Fadil, the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, said, “The floods have left children and families in the open without access to basic necessities”. He added, “This expedition is crucial, but it is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed. The risk of an epidemic of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, diarrhea, dengue, and malaria, continues to increase every day as people are forced to drink contaminated water and defecate under the open sky. The dangers of mosquitoes, snake bites, skin and respiratory diseases are also increasing. We need urgent support to help the children who are struggling for survival”.
A second shipment of 34 tonnes of humanitarian supplies is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, with medicines to treat parasitic infections, resuscitation and sterilisation kits, micronutrients for pregnant women, educational materials, and recreational kits to help children overcome trauma.
The UN states that rescue and relief operations are still extremely difficult: many roads are still blocked by flood water and at least 5,000 kilometres of roads and about 160 bridges have been destroyed or damaged.
As part of the UN Flash Appeal of $160 million to support the national flood response, UNICEF is requesting $37 million to reach children and families in need of life-saving aid.
