UNICEF’s critical supplies reach affected children and families during Yemen humanitarian pause | WPN World People News

UNICEF is distributing critical humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of children and affected civilians across Yemen during a five day humanitarian pause. Despite reports of heavy fighting in certain parts of the country, lifesaving supplies are reaching hospitals, health centres, affected communities and displaced people. These include medicine for childhood illnesses like diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, nutrition supplies, midwifery and hygiene kits and water tanks.

In the past four days of the pause, UNICEF has prepositioned supplies in health offices and centres which will provide primary health care to over 24,000 people and treat 3,500 severely malnourished children. In addition, 18 mobile medical teams have been activated across the country, especially in the south where distribution and services have been slow as a result of the continuing violence.

Supported by UNICEF, these mobile teams have doctors, nurses and midwives who drive to far flung villages and areas where displaced have taken refuge and provide basic health and nutrition services to women and children including vaccinations, screening for childhood illnesses, malnutrition and antenatal care and counselling to pregnant women. Over 2,000 children and women received these services so far.

“During the pause, UNICEF was able to deliver assistance to affected people across the country, however humanitarian assistance cannot replace the needs of 26 million people who have been cut off from a regular supply of commercial imports of food and fuel” said Julien Harneis, UNICEF Yemen’s Representative from Sana’a. “Hundreds of adults and children have already died during this conflict, many of whom could have been saved had we got supplies to them on time. We need to do everything we can to prevent any more of these unnecessary deaths” he added.

In the cities of Sana’a, Hodeida, Dhamar and Saa’da, UNICEF provided water authorities with fuel to run water systems benefitting 531,000 people and water trucks are distributing water to over 5,700 people. In A’den, Taiz, Saa’da and Hajjah, hygiene kits and water filters have been distributed to over 5,000 people. Temporary latrines have been constructed to benefit 4,300 displaced persons.

Since the conflict intensified on 26 March, 115 children were killed and 172 were injured. According to UNICEF, 30 schools and 23 hospitals have been attacked.

UNICEF reiterates that all parties to the conflict should live up to their commitment to protect civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers and allow regular commercial import of fuel and food to enter the country to prevent further deaths.

source: United Nations Children's Fund