SYRIA: As temperature soars, UNICEF helps children threatened by water cuts in Aleppo

22 July 2015 – The restoration of water supplies to the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo has come as a welcome relief to residents whose taps have run dry in recent weeks due to the fighting and frequent power cuts, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said today, as it stepped up efforts to assist the local population.
“These water cuts came at the worst possible time, while Syrians are suffering in an intense summer heat wave,” said UNICEF Representative in Syria Hanaa Singer. “Some neighbourhoods have been without running water for nearly three weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of children thirsty, dehydrated and vulnerable to disease.”
In some cases deliberately implemented by parties to the conflict, the disruption to piped water supplies increased the risk of water-borne disease especially among children. Indeed, since the beginning of July alone, 41 per cent of children attending UNICEF-backed clinics in Aleppo governorate – 3,000 in all – reported mild cases of diarrhoea.
“We remain concerned that water supplies in Aleppo could be cut again any time adding to what is already a severe water crisis throughout the country,” warned Singer.
UNICEF reminds parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking or deliberately interrupting water supplies, treatment and distribution systems, acts which are prohibited under international Humanitarian law, points out a press release issued today.
To address the crisis, and despite the ongoing violence in the city, UNICEF has trebled the scale of its water trucking services from 800,000 to 2.5 million liters a day, the largest volume of water delivered since the start of the conflict.
The service provides 15 liters of water per person daily to nearly 200,000 people in some of the hardest-hit communities in Aleppo.
But UNICEF is working “around the clock” to provide a longer-term solution in cooperation with partners.
The water trucking service has been complemented by the drilling of 50 ground water wells that can provide up to 16 million liters of water per day. In addition, UNICEF is developing an infiltration well, close to Aleppo City’s Kwaik River, to enhance the provision of water by more than ten-fold of a regular groundwater well.
Despite these efforts, an estimated 500,000 people in Aleppo are still struggling to receive enough water to survive, the agency acknowledged.
To address the rising incidence of water-borne illness, UNICEF has delivered diarrhoea kits sufficient to treat more than 18,000 children. And in anticipation of further water shortages and to prevent disease outbreaks, the Fund, through its partners, is distributing water purification tablets for up to 1 million people.
Across the country, the agency is working with partners to support the vital water infrastructure on which some 15 million people in Syria depend, equipping wells and supporting procurement and distribution of water treatment supplies.

YEMEN: as conflict disrupts education for nearly two million children, UNICEF backs ‘catch-up’ classes

24 July 2015 – With intensive bombardments and street fighting in Yemen forcing more than 3,600 schools across the country to close and disrupting education for some 1.8 million children, the top United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official there appealed today to the warring parties to respect the safety of schools.
“Giving Yemen’s children an education is crucial for their own futures as well as those of their families and communities,” Julien Harneis, UNICEF Representative in Yemen said in a press statement issued in the capital, Sana’a.
“We are doing all we can to return children to school so that they don’t completely lose out on their education,” Mr. Harneis said. “We urge the parties to the conflict to respect the safety of schools so as to give children a chance to learn.”
According to UNICEF, months of intensive bombardment and street fighting have forced more than 3,600 schools to close and driven students and their families to safer areas of the country. At least 248 schools have been directly damaged; 270 others are hosting internally displaced people (IDPs) and 68 are occupied by armed groups.
To help ensure that children don’t completely miss out on their education, UNICEF is supporting catch-up classes for over 200,000 students – just some out of around 1.8 million children whose schooling has been interrupted for two months or more.
According to UNICEF, Yemen’s Ministry of Education is helping mobilize the necessary teachers, some of whom have themselves fled the violence, and if schools are damaged, or are being used by displaced people or armed groups, temporary learning spaces such as tents will be provided.
And UNICEF said it is providing teaching and learning resources, including notebooks, pencils and school bags to the students, given that the income of many families has been severely affected, while markets have been destroyed or closed making it difficult for students to acquire the materials they need.
“The next school year is scheduled to start on 5 September, but much will depend on the security situation,” the UN agency said. “Students at schools that are able to resume teaching will be provided with catch up classes to cover more than two months’ of school time lost as a result of the conflict.”
UNICEF is asking for $11 million dollars to support the rehabilitation of damaged schools, provision of teaching and learning resources, training of teachers and community workers to provide psychosocial support, and to carry out a ‘back-to-school’ campaign.
 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51490#.VbXjm7Xeums

NEPAL: Quake Aftermath: Hundreds of thousands of survivors continue to require and rely on Urgent Humanitarian Assistance

As part of the recovery effort in Nepal, humanitarian agencies are providing cash to the affected families through local shop keepers. Photo: OCHA

24 July 2015 – Three months after the first of the devastating earthquakes that hit Nepal, hundreds of thousands of survivors continue to require and rely on urgent humanitarian assistance, the top United Nations humanitarian official in the recovering country said today.
“The emergency is not over yet,” warned Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal. “As long as humanitarian needs persist, relief agencies will continue to support the Government in addressing these vulnerabilities and ensuring the survival of communities affected.”
The cold and damp monsoon weather exposes those affected to further hazards and, together with customs delays, adds to the challenges aid agencies tackle daily. Shelter, food and livelihoods support, water and sanitation, medical and psychosocial care, and protection remain top priorities, he said.
In the last three months, the humanitarian community provided shelter assistance to 340,000 families, distributed food to over 2 million people and provided safe drinking water to some 2.5 million survivors in 14 most-affected districts, points out a press release issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Hundreds of thousands of children continue to benefit from education and psychosocial support. Almost all of health facilities also restored use of cash programming, which proved to be indispensable in achieving these goals and overcoming the topography challenge.
“I am heartened and encouraged by the dedication of the responders: the Government, the many volunteers, my colleagues. Together, we achieved a lot,” stated Mr. McGoldrick. “But we must continue.”
Basic shelter will continue to be provided to families who lost their homes, as more-durable shelter solutions are sought and implemented, underscore the press release. Aid agencies aim to assist more than 1.4 million people with food and another 1 million people with livelihoods support, and to provide safe drinking water and sanitation to 2.5 million people.
Medical camp kits will continue to replace damaged health infrastructure and temporary learning spaces are intended for additional 270,000 children. The humanitarian community is also planning ahead, to ensure the most vulnerable are assisted beyond the monsoon and prepared to survive through the harsh and cold wintery conditions.
“We cannot fail the most vulnerable communities, people who count on us more than ever with the monsoon season underway and the winter fast-approaching” stressed Mr. McGoldrick. “The humanitarian community can and will deliver on its commitments, provided that we receive the right support.”
To date, only $210 million, or 50 per cent, were received against the $422 million humanitarian appeal. An additional $222 million in support to post-earthquakes relief was provided directly to the Government of Nepal on a bilateral and in-kind basis.

SOUTH SUDAN: 'Senseless cycle of violence' in South Sudan must end – UN humanitarian chief

25 July 2015 – Amid massive displacement and “horrendous atrocities,” civilians continue to bear the brunt of South Sudan's brutal conflict, the top United Nations relief official underscored today, as he urged all parties, including the leaders of the warring factions, to “listen to their people,” lay down their arms and halt the rapidly spiralling humanitarian crisis.
“I am deeply shocked by what I have seen. Innocent civilians are bearing the brunt of this brutal war,” said Stephen O'Brien, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, as he wrapped up a four-day visit to South Sudan, which earlier this month, marked the fourth anniversary of its independence amid ongoing violence and deprivation.

Mr. O'Brien, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, painted a grim picture of the situation in South Sudan, which has been wracked by instability and conflict since later December 2013.
“Families have endured horrendous atrocities – including killing, abduction, and the recruitment of children into armed groups. Women and girls have been beaten, raped and set on fire,” he said, explaining that entire communities have lost their homes and their livelihoods. Many people are starving, living in swamps or in bushes, hiding in fear of their lives.

“This senseless cycle of violence must stop,” he declared.
During his mission, Mr. O'Brien met with humanitarian partners, Government officials and the diplomatic community, and visited communities affected by the conflict in Juba, the capital, and Unity state.
The UN humanitarian chief called on the leaders of the warring factions to take responsibility for their own actions and for those who act in their name; “I call on the leadership of South Sudan to listen to their people and lay down their arms, to stop the violence, reconcile their differences and commit to peace.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination Of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Mr. O'Brien heads, the humanitarian consequences of the nearly 20-month long conflict in South Sudan are grave: Some 4.6 million people are severely food insecure, with a quarter of a million children at risk from rapidly worsening nutrition.

Massive displacement continues – over two million people, half of whom are children –have fled their homes. This includes some 1.6 million people displaced inside South Sudan and almost 600,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries.
“Humanitarian needs are higher now than ever and we cannot wait to respond, to do even more than brave humanitarians are already delivering. I appeal to the international community to act now to avert an even greater humanitarian tragedy in South Sudan,” underscored Mr. O'Brien.
The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2015 is currently only 42 per cent funded, leaving a gap of nearly $1 billion dollars, according to OCHA.
The security situation in South Sudan has deteriorated steadily over the past year since political in-fighting between President Kiir and his former Vice-President, Riek Machar, and their respective factions erupted in December 2013. The hostilities subsequently turned into a full-fledged conflict, resulting in reported atrocities and possible war crimes.
The UN Security Council marked the fourth anniversary of South Sudan's independence by expressing profound disappointment in South Sudan's leaders for putting their personal ambitions ahead of the good of their country and their people, sparking months of politically motivated violence that has left thousands dead and caused a “man-made…catastrophe.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51498#.VbXZm7Xeums