Japan grants UNICEF $4.9m for emergency interventions in Sudan’s war affected areas
March 13, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received a $4.9 million grant from Japan to address the basic needs of children in the conflict affected states of South Darfur, East Darfur, South Kordofan and West Kordofan.
Also, the Japanese grant will enable the U.N. Children’s Fund to reach 140,000 children with essential vaccines, 36,000 pregnant women will receive Tetanus toxoid vaccines and 37,000 children will receive treatment for common childhood illnesses; UNICEF further said.
Japanese Ambassador to Sudan, Hideki ITO, expressed hopes that the “contribution enables UNICEF to tackle the challenges faced by children and women affected by emergencies in the targeted areas”.
The head of UNICEF Sudan, Geert Cappelaere, hailed the Japanese support to the well-being of children in Sudan saying it ” will advance UNICEF’s emergency response plan and enhance the resilience of Sudanese children and their caregivers especially in the face of the recent escalation in violence in some areas”.
Some 2,000,000 children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition of which 550,000 are severely acutely malnourished and at risk of death.
Women and children remain the first victims of the armed conflicts in the Two Areas and Darfur region.
UN agencies, said the ongoing clashes between the government and rebels in Darfur’s Jebel Marra area displaced over 105,000 persons mainly women and children.
UNICEF said the recent displacements in Darfur have increased the risk of disease outbreaks such as acute water diarrhoea and measles, threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of children.
(ST)