UNICEF NZ (UN Children’s Fund)
Media Release
Monday 10 February, 2014

Three months after Typhoon Haiyan

New Zealand Support Enabling Typhoon-damaged Communities to Recover

Three months after a massive Typhoon devastated the central Philippines, the long trek back to normalcy for children hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan has begun.

With help from UNICEF and its partners, some 420,000 children from the worst hit areas are now back in school, in repaired, makeshift and tent schools and using learning materials from school-in-a-box, early childhood and recreational kits. The back to school campaign will continue to expand focusing on the new school year, which begins in June 2014.

Dennis McKinlay, Executive Director at UNICEF New Zealand said, “Typhoon Haiyan caused massive devastation, with schools, hospitals, homes and other vital infrastructure all affected, but since then we have made tremendous progress.

“Now 420,000 children are back in schools, 80,000 kids have been immunized against measles, water and sanitation systems are restored and child protection measures are in place to ensure the most vulnerable are protected against exploitation. The support of generous New Zealanders has enabled affected families to start getting back on their feet, with an incredible $2m donated.

“However it is still early days and much remains to be done to address significant challenges that include continued large-scale displacement of families and communities, damaged infrastructure and lost livelihoods, and increased threat from diseases like dengue and measles.”

On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan laid waste to vast areas in the central Philippines, affecting 14.1 million people (5.9 million of whom are children). Following a vulnerability assessment, UNICEF - in partnership with local governments - determined to focus most attention on the 40 most severely affected municipalities; home to around 1.34 million people, including 558,000 children.

“Our focus to date has been on providing life-saving aid to those children and communities that were hardest hit by the Typhoon and who are most at risk,” said Kiwi Angela Kearney, the UNICEF Representative in the Philippines. “We are making real progress, but so much more needs to be done to restore these children’s rights and to return to them their chance to fulfill their potential. UNICEF staff are working around-the-clock to provide urgently needed assistance.”

Working under the leadership of the Philippine’s Government and with humanitarian partners and local governments, UNICEF has established a presence in these worst-affected areas to fast-track the delivery of aid and support.

“Every day we are expanding our support, looking to ensure that every child’s needs and rights are met,” said Kearney. “And as we provide support, we have one eye on the future, ensuring that everything that is rebuilt is more disaster-resilient, better able to withstand any future calamity.”

UNICEF’s emergency response planning charts the transition from relief to longer term recovery assistance. It also provides support to strengthen local and national institution’s ability to ensure children’s needs are met as part of national and local of disaster risk response and management plans

*For more details of UNICEF’s response to date see Notes to Editors

Notes to Editors

Assistance provided to date includes:

Water and sanitation
Since November, water kits, water treatment products, bladders and home storage containers have been provided to some 925,500 affected people across Eastern Samar, Leyte and Capiz, toilet slabs and portable toilets for some 70,000 people in Capiz, Eastern Samar and Leyte and hygiene kits for 231,000 people across Eastern Samar, Leyte, Capiz, Iloilo, and Cebu.

Health
UNICEF is supporting the Department of Health in restoring community routine immunization programmes through the prepositioning of stocks and the reestablishment of a disaster-resilient cold chain in priority areas.

Measles, dengue and diarrhoea pose risk. With support from UNICEF and its partners, the Department of Health has conducted measles vaccination and is working to eliminate mosquito breeding sites, and to finalize dengue fever preparedness and response plans for the affected regions. Over 4,000 cases of diarrhoea have also been reported in the affected regions, with heavy rain experienced in these areas since the Typhoon exacerbating the situation.

UNICEF is working with the Department of Health, WHO and other partners to increase the capacity of local authorities to prevent outbreaks of Acute Watery Diarrhoea, dengue fever and other related illnesses, and to build local diagnosis and treatment capacity, including by establishing treatment centres.

Nutrition
Over 8,000 pregnant and lactating women and caregivers have received counselling and support for infant and young child feeding (IYCF) through 43 UNICEF-supported mother and baby friendly spaces. UNICEF is working with the Philippines National Nutrition Council to help them reach the target of providing emergency support to children and pregnant and lactating women in over 1,000 barangays (villages) across the affected areas.

Nutrition screening of over 97,000 children under 5 years in the worst-affected areas is now complete. As a result, 159 severely malnourished children have been admitted to therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes.

Education and Early Childhood Development

UNICEF has provided 1,244 Temporary Learning Spaces that have benefited over 124,000 children.

Child Protection

Early childhood care and development kits, recreational Kits and tents have been provided by UNICEF and key partners to 79 Child Friendly Spaces, benefiting over 13,500 children. Access to psychosocial support services has also been provided to help children deal with the emotional and psychological impact of the crisis.

A Rapid Family Tracing and Reunification systems supported by UNICEF has now verified and reported 92 unaccompanied and separated children, and their circumstances are now being addressed by relevant government authorities. Fifty village community action groups and displaced protection volunteers have been trained to provide greater safety and protection to vulnerable women and children, and this training is being expanded to provide help in eight high risk evacuation centres and transitory sites.

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

ENDS

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