UNICEF head visits quake-ravaged north

Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ann Veneman, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday as part of two-day visit to highlight the plight of children in quake-affected areas of the north. “The children and their families cannot wait much longer,” Veneman warned at a press conference at the UN compound in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. “We must do everything we can to ensure their survival. They need shelter and care as quickly as possible.” It’s a message being repeated again and again, with the UN warning of a second wave of deaths unless greater donor assistance arrives now. But donor response to the world body’s US $550 million flash appeal has yet to elicit the response necessary, making it increasingly difficult for aid agencies on the ground to help those in need. More than 53,000 people were killed and over 75,000 people injured when the powerful quake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale ripped through Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on 8 October, rendering over 3 million people homeless and killing at least 54,000 people. Prior to her arrival, Veneman said her trip was intended to bring renewed attention to the children of the quake. “A tremendous effort has been mounted so far, but more is needed,” she said. “I want to see the situation up close and draw attention to the critical importance of keeping children alive.” Official estimates suggest more than half of the casualties were children, with many children attending school at the time of the quake. “This is a disaster that particularly affected children,” the UNICEF head emphasised. “There needs to be additional resources coming into the region,” she said, following a visit to a girls’ government high school in Muzaffarabad where 80 pupils and six teachers died. Although there were no definitive figures yet on the number of schools damaged in the quake, education officials estimate that close to 7,000 schools were destroyed in Shangla, Batagram and Mansehra districts of NWFP, with another 1,300 schools in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Most of the schools were damaged beyond repair, according to UNICEF. In NWFP and Pakistan-administered Kashmir there were a total of 11,534 primary and secondary schools. The UN agency is now working closely with the government and other agencies to rapidly estimate the number of children who will need to be placed into new schools and to determine the best location for temporary schools. But UNICEF's efforts go beyond education. During her visit to the quake-devastated city of Balakot, Veneman saw how a camp had been laid out by the military in anticipation of the widespread need for temporary shelter. As part of its efforts, UNICEF, along with groups like International Medical Corps (IMC), Oxfam, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP), is working to provide clean water, sanitation, food, shelter and adequate health care for the growing numbers of people struggling down from the mountains needing assistance. “Enormous efforts remain. There are large numbers of people who have still not been reached. We have a short, critical window of time to act before the Himalayan winter sets in,” she said, calling for urgent large-scale support to control disease, malnutrition and to improve water supply and sanitation. “Without this – children and adults will die of preventable diseases – and this is already happening.”