HARARE, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) has launched a 120-day emergency response to intensify relief efforts
in Zimbabwe's educational and health sectors, local media said on Wednesday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, UNICEF acting country representative
Roeland Monasch said the emergency response would see the organization focusing
on relief efforts in the provision of basic social services.
Under the 120-day plan, UNICEF said it would increase health outreach
services, provide nutritional supplements, boost school attendance and scale up
access to safe water.
UNICEF said it would further procure essential medicines for 70 percent of
the country's population and support community-based therapeutic feeding centers
by providing ready-to-use nutritional foods across the country.
The children-centred organization will also roll out a nationwide campaign
on cholera prevention and reach out to at least 1.5 million children with
immunization.
In collaboration with the government, the emergency plan will also provide
incentives for teachers and nurses countrywide to enable them return to work.
"Women and children face immense risk in Zimbabwe. Schools and hospitals
are closing, while teachers, nurses and doctors are not reporting for duty. It
is UNICEF's top priority to ensure that Zimbabwe's children get vital
life-saving interventions at this critical time," Monasch said.
He said high HIV prevalence rate (currently 16 percent), food shortages
with 5.1 million people in need of food by January, and a decline in social
services had compounded the Zimbabwean situation for the past five years.
"Children in Zimbabwe are on the brink and everyone's focus must now be on
their survival," said Monasch.
The net effect on Zimbabwean children has been no schooling, a serious
threat to their life, lack of health care, safe water and reduced number of
meals.
According to UNICEF, the country has so far recorded more than 11,735 cases
of cholera and 484 deaths were reported.
