UN Steps Up Aid to Children Evicted in Zimbabwe Clearance Campaign
New York, Jun 24 2005 12:00PM
The United Nations children’s agency issued an urgent appeal today for nearly $3 million as it steps up its support to
tens of thousands of children evicted from their homes in Zimbabwe during the Government’s drive to clean up cities.
“Many children are now without shelter during winter, others have been separated from their parents and caregivers,
schooling has been widely disrupted, access to water is difficult, and respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases
are a real threat,” said Dr. Festo Kavishe, representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe.
Operations Restore Order and Murambatsvina began four weeks ago in what the government called an effort, to clean up
cities and fight the black market across Zimbabwe. As a result, tens of thousands of homes and market stalls have been
destroyed.
UNICEF has established access to most clean-up sites across the country and, with various ministries and a range of
Non-Governmental Organizations, is distributing aid to affected children and women, in the form of water and sanitation
equipment, health supplies, blankets and plastic sheeting and other support.
The agency is seeking more than $2.7 million to continue all existing activities and expand health care aid, deliver
urgently needed non-food items, provide HIV prevention and care, and place social workers in key areas.
ENDS