…as Soludo commends UNICEF’s interventions in the state
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated medical items as relief materials to victims of flood disaster in various communities across Anambra State.
The items included first set of supplies of 100 drums of chlorine for disinfection of water sources, 40 cartons of Aquatabs for household water treatment and 320 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic food (RUTF).
Making the presentation on Saturday, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe sympathized with government and people of the state on the recently encountered flooding experience especially with women and children who remained vulnerable during such times.
She regretted that no fewer than 600 persons died and 1.3million rendered homeless following September/October floods across 34 states of the country.
She said, “UNICEF is making available essential medicines and health supplies, sexual reproductive kit, chlorine for disinfection of water sources in health centres, schools and communities.
“We acknowledged that since September 2022, the worst floods in a decade affected 2.8 million people, of which an estimated 60 per cent are children, across 34 of the 36 states in Nigeria. Of those affected, 1.3 million people have been displaced, and over 600 people have died in relation to flooding according to government data.
“Continuous heavy rains have collapsed hundreds of public health facilities, water systems and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, diarrhoea, and malaria.
“To contribute to effort of government and other development partners, UNICEF, with funding the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has initiated a multisectoral response comprising Health, Child Protection and WASH sectors, to mitigate the impact of the floods support the early recovery-phase of the affected population in Anambra State.
“For Child Protection, the response will focus on protection concerns in three key areas: the provision of psychosocial support for flood-affected children; the prevention of family separation and the reunification of separated and unaccompanied children, as well as the strengthening of community-based protection systems related to GBV.
“For Health, the response will focus on emergency primary health care services to address waterborne and vaccine-preventable childhood diseases by ensuring continued access to health services via mobile brigades, prepositioning essential medicines and supplies, support the restoration of basic health services and improving health-seeking behaviours through community engagement.”
Responding, Governor Chukwuma Soludo commended the interventions UNICEF had been making in the state in various aspects of human endeavour, especially as it concerned women and children.
Soludo, represented by his deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim assured continued collaboration with the world body, stressing that modalities were being worked out to mitigate the harshness of the flooding on victims in different parts of the state as well as to put proactive measures to checkmate recurrence of such emergencies.
