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Geneva, December 19, 2009 – The U.N. Children's Fund
reports it is achieving significant results for millions of Somali
children despite the humanitarian crisis gripping the country. While
facing enormous difficulties, UNICEF says it has been able to save many
children's lives through immunization, special feeding and other
assistance programs.
The United Nations reports about half of Somalia's population of seven
million is in a state of humanitarian emergency. And, half of those are
children.
Somalia has some of the worst statistics in the world when it comes to
children. The U.N. Children's Fund reports one in every five children is
acutely malnourished. Routine immunization coverage is among the lowest
in the world, as is school enrollment.
To add to this list of woes, UNICEF representative to Somalia, Rozanne
Chorlton, notes children in Somalia have reached another terrible
milestone this year.
"As everybody else was celebrating the 20th anniversary of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child," she said. "There is no child in
central south Somalia who knows what it is to live in peace. And to now
try to recover from that as communities and society, of course, will
take at least a generation."
Despite all these calamities, Chorlton says UNICEF and other agencies
have been able to achieve a great deal. For example, she says cases of
malaria have gone down dramatically in areas where insecticide treated
mosquito nets have been distributed.
She says Somalia has been polio free since 2007 and about 1.5 million
children and one million women of child-bearing age have been immunized
against killer diseases during so-called Child Health Days.
"And, because of those initiatives through Child Health Days, we will
then be on track to have a Somalia that is measles free and probably
also tetanus free," said Chorlton. "We have managed to help two million
people get access to safe water during 2009 in one of the countries,
which has one of the lowest access to safe water and sanitation. And,
2.5 million people have access to free health care."
In another bit of good news, Chorlton notes 14 communities in three
districts including and around Hargeysa in Somaliland have decided to
abandon the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
While these achievements are heartening, Chorlton says every child is
affected by the worsening situation in Somalia. She says many children
do not have enough to eat. Many suffer from psychological and physical
distress brought on by conflict.
She says UNICEF can continue to make a difference, but only if it gets
the $65 million it needs to carry out its life-saving activities in
2010.
Source: VOA, Dec. 16, 2009
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