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In hard-hit Laputta Township alone, UNICEF is currently trying to identifythe parents of 24 children sheltering with people they do not know.
Children are among the most vulnerable in this disaster. Lack of access toclean water and poor sanitation, inadequate shelter and poor nutrition poseparticular threats to children. This leads to an increased risk of diarrhea,which can be deadly to children living in precarious conditions such as these.Flooding can also be a source of mosquito breeding and can lead to outbreaksof malaria and dengue fever, which are endemic in Myanmar.
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Even before the cyclone struck more than a week ago, about one in threechildren in Myanmar were malnourished.
The child-friendly spaces can also serve as makeshift schools while UNICEFworks towards getting children back to school in time for the opening of theschool year on June 1. In addition, UNICEF has ordered large quantities of"schools-in-a-backpack", a more mobile version of the "school-in-a-box" kitused in emergency situations around the world.
"In any situation where you have children living under extremely stressfulconditions, both physically and emotionally, it is important for their welfarethat they are provided with a space where they feel safe and provided for-- where they can begin to return a little bit to normal life," said RameshShrestha, UNICEF Representative in Myanmar.
According to UNICEF, up to 90 per cent of the schools in the affectedareas have been damaged to some degree. This adds up to some 3,000 primaryschools and more than 500,000 pupils. UNICEF will set up safe learning spaceswith tents and provide essential learning packages for the children who haveno school to go to.
Since the cyclone hit on May 3, UNICEF has been distributing food, water,medicines and shelter equipment. UNICEF water and sanitation experts are alsoconcerned that the breakdown in the power supplies and sanitation systems maylead to a high risk of infections and water-borne diseases such as cholera anddysentery.
UNICEF has 130 staff in country, 9 zonal offices and a headquarter officein Yangon.
To donate to the Cyclone Nargis disaster, please go towww.unicefusa.org/myanmar or call 1.800.4UNICEF.
About UNICEF
For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading internationalchildren's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoingissues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition,clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more younglives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions ofchildren die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upperrespiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partneringorganizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reachto give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF,please visit www.unicefusa.org.
SOURCE U.S. Fund for UNICEF
