UNICEF appeals for funds for hard hit Solomon Islands

Tsunami :: UNICEF appeals for funds for hard hit Solomon Islands

UNICEF appealed for urgent funding to respond to the people affected by the devastating tsunami that swept through coastal villages on the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea last Monday.

Of the estimated 50,000 people in the region impacted by the disaster 30,000 of them are children, 15,000 of them are under the age of five.

These children are highly vulnerable to hunger, disease and the disruption of their normal lives and protective social systems, and require urgent life-saving assistance to survive.

UNICEF is appealing is for US $500,000 to meet the most urgent needs of women and children in the region.

UNICEF began responding within hours of the disaster, drawing on pre-positioned emergency medical supplies for up to 10,000 people and internal financial reserves. Along with its partners, UNICEF is working closely with the Government of the Solomon Islands to respond swiftly and effectively to the crisis.

Initial response has included distribution of medical kits including emergency drugs; immunisation against measles for children aged 6 months to 4 years; Vitamin A supplementation; support for medical teams; ensuring that women and children have access to health services.

With thousands crowded into temporary shelters and living quarters, ensuring that the water and sanitation structures are re-established as quickly as possible is critical.

UNICEF is working to assess the damage to water and sanitation infrastructures. Water purification tablets, jerry cans and water tanks are needed. The children?s agency must also provide hygiene materials, including soap, buckets and educational materials containing hygiene messages in local languages and establishing latrines and water points as necessary.