SANA’A, 19th March 2014 – The Government of Japan has announced its new contribution to UNICEF in support of women and children in Yemen.
The situation in Yemen remains precarious with an estimated 58 per cent of the population (14.7 million) affected by humanitarian crisis and needing assistance in 2014.
“Despite recent gains made on the political front, Yemen continues to be beleaguered by a struggling economy, underdevelopment; challenging political transition and volatile security”, says UNICEF Representative Julien Harneis. “This continues to negatively impact on access to and safety of the most vulnerable population, especially children”, Harneis emphasized.
Due to sub-optimal primary health care services an estimated 7,500 children are estimated to be infected with vaccine preventable diseases with serious consequences.
The situation of malnourished children remains unabated and is further compounded by the poor sanitation conditions and lack of access to safe water across the country. More than 250,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and are at an elevated risk of dying from complications if not treated. The risk of outbreaks resulting from water borne diseases remains high.
Yemen is also a water scare country with poor water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and hygiene practices. An estimated 13.1 million Yemenis are without access to an improved water source and 12.1 million are without access to improved sanitation.
In recent months 41 children have been verified as killed or maimed due to ongoing localized conflicts in the north and south. There have also been 5 attacks on hospitals and 7 attacks on schools which constitute grave child rights violations.
The Government of Japan remains a reliable and consistent partner in addressing humanitarian efforts in Yemen, this being the third consecutive year of support to children and women affected by the ongoing conflicts across the country. “ Japan’s new assistance could not have been more timely in scaling up UNICEF’s response in the areas of nutrition, health, water, sanitation & hygiene promotion, education and child protection” Mr Harneis concludes.
This support from the Government of Japan will enable UNICEF to
Enroll, cure and discharge 30,000 severely acutely malnourished children under the age of five years (both girls and boys) in the outpatient therapeutic feeding programme (OTP).
Establish and make functional 80 additional OTP sites across the country.
Train 1,200 community health volunteers (CHV) on the integrated package to improve nutrition.
Ensure continued access to safe drinking water for at least 60,000 people in affected communities.
Conduct four rounds of integrated maternal and child health outreach activities including screening 400,000 children under 5 and 80,000 pregnant women; and treating 100,000 children with life threatening childhood illnesses.
Support access to improved quality education for 5,000 school children (boys and girls), including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others affected by conflict.
Improve the skills of 450 teachers and school supervisors to utilize child-centred teaching methodologies, including in emergency.
Enable some 30,000 vulnerable children to benefit from psychosocial and protection services and 20,000 people including children receive information on how to protect themselves from the risks of mines and UXOs.
“The Government of Japan has been focusing on alleviation of suffering of women and children in Yemen. We hope this new contribution will help UNICEF and the Yemeni Government better prepare the environment for people in need.” said Ambassador of Japan Mr. Hayashi.
***********************************************************
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: http://www.unicef.org