UNICEF today delivered 32 metric tons of life-saving medical and other emergency supplies to support children and women affected by devastating floods across Pakistan.
“The floods have left children and families out in the open with no access to the basic necessities of life,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “This shipment is critical and life-saving, but only a drop in the ocean of what is required. The risk of an outbreak of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dengue, and malaria, keeps increasing every day as people are forced to drink contaminated water and practice open defecation. The dangers of mosquitoes, snakebites, skin and respiratory diseases are also increasing. We need urgent support to help children grappling for survival.”
Using pre-positioned emergency supplies, UNICEF has delivered immediate emergency services and supplies worth over US$ 2 million over the past week. These included drinking water, water purification tablets, hygiene kits, medicines, vaccines, therapeutic nutritional supplements for children, pregnant and lactating women, and mosquito nets.
As part of the UN flash appeal of US$160 million to support the national flood response, UNICEF is appealing for US$37 million to reach children and families in need of life-saving support.
