UNICEF India chief reaffirms commitment towards Bihar's children

© UNICEF/ 2008
UNICEF Representative Karin Hulshof seen flagging off UNICEF supplies to the flood affected districts. Standing next to her is Mr. Gangadhar, Director, Bihar Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development.
Patna, Bihar, 06 September 2008: With the humanitarian crisis due to unprecedented floods in northern Bihar continuing, the UNICEF India Country Representative Ms. Karin Hulshof today reaffirmed the UN agency's commitment to work with the government and partners to provide relief to the flood-hit people of the state, especially the most vulnerable children and women.
"In any disaster, children and women are most vulnerable to disease and distress. We heard from the government that the flood affected children and women are their top priority" she said at a visit to the state capital yesterday. "We were in Bihar yesterday, we are there today and will be there tomorrow" Ms. Karin Hulshof said, emphasizing UNICEF's continued and long term support to the children and women of Bihar.In a meeting with Mr. R.J.M. Pillai, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar (GoB) responsible for overseeing the relief efforts, Hulshof said that NICEF will continue to partner with the government and others in the flood-affected districts through the response as well as the rehabilitation stage. "Our endeavor will be to support the government to build back better," she said.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. S. Vijayaraghavan, Development Commissioner, GoB, Mr. Deepak Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, and Mr. Anshul Arya, Additional Commissioner, Home.
Earlier, while flagging off five truckloads of relief material from the Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development, Hulshof said that UNICEF's immediate priority is to work with the government to ensure that children and women receive medicines, supplementary nutrition, clean drinking water and access to sanitation.
Besides, UNICEF has provided mobility support for deployment of 44 doctors and 29 paramedics from the districts not affected by floods to flood-affected districts. A disease surveillance system has also been set up with UNICEF's support in five of the worst affected districts.
UNICEF relief material that include life jackets, medical tents for childbirth, over 500,000 water purifying tablets, 200-litre capacity water tanks, over 2,500 bags of bleaching powder, 65,000 Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) and other materials like Albendazole tablets, buckets and mugs, tarpaulin, Vitamin A, water tanks, first-aid kits, midwifery kits and health kits have already reached the worst-affected districts.
For addressing the special nutritional needs of children and pregnant and lactating women, 16 temporary Anganwadi Centres are being set up and more are planned. Working with the government, UNICEF is supporting a massive campaign to vaccinate children in relief camps against measles and polio and provide Vitamin A supplementation that will help increase their immunity levels. It is also setting up water storage tanks, organizing chlorination of drinking water and providing training for promotion of hygiene practices.

टिपणी: हा लेख आणि फोटो माझा नाही आहे. मला इमेल द्वारे आला होतो आणि आवडला म्हणून मी सर्वांसाठी माझ्या ब्लोग वर पोस्ट केला. याचे सर्व हक्क मूळ मालकाचे आहेत. मूळ मालकाचे नाव माहित नसल्या कारणास्तव पोस्ट केले नाही आहे. मूळ मालकाचे नाव कळाल्याच पोस्ट करण्यात येईल. तरीही मूळ मालकाची पोस्ट बद्दल हरकत असल्यास पोस्ट काढला जाईल.