UNICEF appeals for US $18 million

UNICEF, the UN Children's Fund, has appealed for US $18 million to fund its projects in war-wracked Angola, much of which it hopes to spend on reducing the country's appalling child mortality rate. "The condition of children in Angola remains catastrophic. The under-five mortality rate is the second highest in the world, with one child dying every three minutes, or 420 children dying every day," UNICEF said in its latest donor update published on 9 January. Saying the fund required US $7.1 million to implement child mortality reduction programmes, the update added: "The project seeks to provide a minimum health package to vulnerable populations, especially displaced children and mothers ... Among objectives are to immunise all new internally displaced children against measles, reinforce routine immunisations with the vaccination of 1.5 million children against main preventable diseases, and protect 100,000 families from malaria." According to UNICEF, malaria remains the first cause of death among children, being responsible for 80 percent of the demand of health service users, 50 percent of child deaths among under-fives, 40 percent of prenatal deaths and the main cause of absenteeism from school and work. UNICEF said it received only US $5.2 million of the US $18.8 million it requested as part of the consolidated appeal for its projects in Angola last year. In addition, it received US $12 million in terms of UNICEF's five-year Country Programme of Cooperation with the Angolan government. A lack of funding impacted on several of its projects, it said. Full appeal update at www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf At the same time, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in its latest situation report that while the food pipeline in Angola was fully guaranteed until the end of March, "new pledges will be necessary to ensure that food needs will be met in April".