Hurricane Matthew: UNICEF Delivers Lifesaving Humanitarian Supplies to Haiti
NEW YORK (October 7, 2016) – A chartered cargo aircraft loaded with tons of humanitarian supplies will be hitting the ground in Port-au-Prince in the next few hours. The shipment comes from UNICEF Regional Office Latin America and Caribbean and carries lifesaving humanitarian provisions to the most-affected children and families by Hurricane Matthew.
The cargo includes sanitation and hygiene goods, water-testing products and purification tablets, educational and early child development kits, health and nutrition equipment to benefit children and women in areas most hard hit by the landfall of the Hurricane Matthew.
“More than 350,000 are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. Homes have been destroyed, cities are flooded and people are in need of water and sanitation, of health services, shelter and protection,” said Douglas Reimer, UNICEF’s Regional Emergency Advisor for Latin America and Caribbean.
“UNICEF and partners are working around the clock get to identify the most affected children and get them urgent assistance”.
Funding needs – UNICEF will need an immediate $6 million dollars to deliver lifesaving and humanitarian assistance to the most affected children in Haiti and other countries, and will require additional funds as the full scope of the tragedy becomes clear.
The most urgent needs are the provisioning of safe water and adequate sanitation conditions to avoid outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera; guaranteeing health assistance and treatment to malnourish children; putting in place temporary learning space so children can get back to school as soon as possible; and protecting children from any kind of violence.
How to help: For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution to UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in the region, please contact the U.S. Fund for UNICEF:
Website: www.unicefusa.org/Matthew
Toll free: 1-800-FOR-KIDS
Text RELIEF to 864233 (UNICEF) to donate $10
Mail: 125 Maiden Lane, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038
As with any emergency, in the event that donations exceed anticipated needs, the U.S. Fund will redirect any excess funds to children in greatest need.
Video: Douglas Reimer, UNICEF´s Regional Emergency Advisor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN6Futrncgo
About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
For more information, contact:
Chloe Kay, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2527, cell- 917.214.1418, ckay@unicefusa.org