First hand reports: children need food, water, shelter
BEIJING, May 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) is rushing today to pack and ship emergency relief supplies to
children affected by the May 12 earthquake which devastated several counties
in central Sichuan. The quake which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale is being
called the most powerful earthquake to hit China in recent times.
UNICEF has procured some US$430,000 dollars worth of emergency supplies
that have been requested by the government of China. The first consignments of
aid -- 1,000 tents, 15,000 blankets and 60,000 school kits -- are expected to
arrive in quake affected areas in the next 24 hours. Health equipment,
medicines and water and sanitation materials will soon follow.
The Government of China reiterated that at present international teams
would not be broadly accepted, and that there would be a role for the
international community in rehabilitation and reconstruction. UNICEF has begun
making preparations to carry out its own assessment of the situation of
children as soon as it is allowed.
"We are going to do our utmost to assist the Chinese government to care
for and protect children affected by this terrible, terrible tragedy," said
Dr. Yin Yin Nwe, UNICEF Representative and UN Disaster Management Team Chair
in China, "It is truly encouraging to see how the whole country has rallied in
support the Government's relief response."
"The situation now is critical. We need to move as fast as possible, with
no delays, to speed life-saving medicines, vaccinations, water purification
tablets, oral rehydration salts, obstetrics and surgical kits, water
containers and the like. Families trying to cope will require basic materials
like collapsible water containers, soap, tarpaulins to survive after losing
everything. The Ministry of Civil Affairs on Friday relayed to us that the
entire infrastructure of the region has been devastated with a large number of
critical local government service providers also perishing in the earthquake.
Those children who have survived the earthquake are in great need."
According to Wang Shuguang, a UNICEF consultant living and working in the
immediate area, the current situation for surviving children is difficult.
"The children and their families are in dire need of shelter, water, and basic
life necessities. They also need us to stand by their side and hold their hand
to get over this tragedy." Wang's own family was hard hit by the earthquake,
"I found my little girl on the play ground. I could hardly recognize her. She
looked so pitifully dirty and stank, drinking only the rainwater." This is
what most of the school children face in damaged buildings, he recalled.
UNICEF has been working in Sichuan and other nearby quake affected
provinces for more than two decades in health, early childhood development,
water and sanitation, anti-trafficking, HIV/AIDS and local planning. Sichuan
is one of the poorer provinces of China with a significant ethnic minority
population.
Currently, the official death toll as reported by Xinhua news agency has
risen to 28,881 with an additional 198,347 persons injured and 14,000 people
remaining under debris and rubble. A total of 3.3 million homes have been
destroyed and 15.6 million homes have been damaged. According to the Sichuan
Earthquake Command Centre in Chengdu 33, 434 people have been rescued from
debris.
About UNICEF in China: UNICEF first assisted China between 1947 and 1951,
providing emergency services, food and nutrition, health and hygiene training
during and after the Revolutionary War. In 1979 UNICEF officially commenced
its cooperation with the Government of China to support 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 on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children
survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
For further information, please contact: Dale Rutstein, UNICEF China,
+86 13910973801, drutstein@unicef.org or Liu Li, UNICEF China,
+86 13701066671, liliu@unicef.org
SOURCE UNICEF China
Dale Rutstein, +86 13910973801, drutstein@unicef.org or Liu Li, +86
13701066671, liliu@unicef.org, both of UNICEF China
