UNICEF resumes assistance in north

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that it had resumed education and health assistance in the area around the northern town of Makeni. On Thursday a UNICEF team distributed school supplies and textbooks to approximately 1,000 students attending school in Makeni, a news release said. It also supplied essential drugs, vaccines and equipment for the revitalisation of five health clinics catering for some 10,000-12,000 people in Bombali District. To prevent outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease, UNICEF will also organise training on well chlorination, the news release said. UNICEF’s partners, CARITAS Makeni, People’s Education Association and the district health team, provided technical assistance. They also assessed training needs for staff and other support requirements in the health and education sectors. Sierra Leone is reported to have the highest child mortality rate in the world. A successful polio vaccination campaign took place in February and March in parts of Sierra Leone, but children in Makeni have been cut off until recently from basic health services such as immunisation, UNICEF reported. UN forces deployed to Makeni - held by the Revolutionary United Front - on 17 April.