Disaster Response Syrian Arab Republic Project #22709

UNICEF Emergency Response

by UNICEF USA

Project Report | Feb 28, 2020
Update: Curbing the Spread of Coronavirus

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

Five-year-old Yuanyuan, Wuhan China

Dear Friend,

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is officially a public health emergency of international concern. The COVID-19 epidemic that originated in China has now spread to at least 28 countries and territories. Thanks to your support of UNICEF in emergencies, UNICEF is working with partners to help protect children and contribute to containing the virus.

The size and evolution of the outbreak and current knowledge on its ability to be transmitted through communities signals that the virus could still spread further within the region, despite the efforts by national authorities and the international community to contain it. While the virus has been spreading to other regions, the main burden remains in the East Asia and Pacific region. Urgent efforts are needed to contain the outbreak and to prepare health systems and communities to mitigate the impacts. The effect of a large-scale outbreak on children, especially poor and vulnerable children, can be immense— through disruption to education and health services, impacts on caregivers, and separation from family members.

Five-year-old Yuanyuan is from Wuhan in China, the epicenter of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. Her parents and grandparents tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to a hospital. She was the only one in her family not infected with the virus and was left behind at home. Medical personnel in the hospital decided to look after the girl, and a volunteer helped keep her company. With tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases reported in Wuhan, the city has been under lockdown since 23 January as authorities work to contain the spread of the disease. Most of the city’s hotels were shut down, so the hospital vacated a room for Yuanyuan and the volunteer to live in. The hospital staff provided regular meals and some of the medical personnel taught Yuanyuan how to protect herself from the virus. Yuanyuan has been separated from her family for days but keeps a positive attitude. She follows the advice of the medical personnel looking after her to eat healthily, rest well and go outside for some sun. And with the help of the volunteer, Yuanyuan telephones her mother and cheers her up.

Given the global nature of the outbreak, UNICEF is engaging in preparedness activities and contingency planning for COVID-19 across regions in an effort to keep children such as Yuanyuan safe. UNICEF has also provided critical supplies - protective suits, masks, goggles, gloves - to protect health workers and minimize amplification of infection through health care-associated transmission. Thanks, in part, to your continued support, the first UNICEF personal protective equipment supplies were unloaded upon arrival from Denmark at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai in China on January 29, 2020. The first supplies were delivered weighing nearly six tons and including 97,221 masks and 10,861 protective suits for health workers in Wuhan. To date, a total of 187,221 masks, 28,861 protective suits, 12,000 protective goggles, and 1.2 million disposable gloves were delivered for use by health facilities and other local government departments directly supporting them, and there are thousands more goggles, protective suits and surgical gowns and gloves in the pipeline.

In addition to the provision of needed supplies, UNICEF is focusing on limiting human-to-human transmission and mitigating the impact of the outbreak on the health system and affected communities. This efforts include response or preparedness activities in countries around the world that:

facilitate risk communication and community engagement activities, including through community-based communication, mass media and social media;
ensure that children and pregnant and lactating women who are impacted by the outbreak are supported with adequate health care;
assess and curtail the secondary effects of the outbreak, including by facilitating continued access to education where schools may be closed or quarantines imposed and address protection needs, including through the provision of psychosocial support to those directly or indirectly affected.

Thank you for your continued support. This rapid response would not have been possible without your commitment to UNICEF’s work in emergencies and the wellbeing of children everywhere.

In Partnership,

Whitney

Links:

Want To Stop An Epidemic? Start With The Facts.

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Dec 6, 2019
Update: UNICEF in the Central African Republic

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

UNICEF/UN08032/Le Du

Dear Friend,

With over 2.9 million people in need, including 1.5 million children, the Central African Republic (CAR) is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, given the proportion of the population in need of assistance.

Thanks to your support, UNICEF continues to focus on the protection needs of children, including their release from armed groups, reunification with their families and the provision of psychosocial support, while scaling up programming addressing sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF will maintain gender-sensitive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and services on settlements for displaced people across the country and improve immunization rates in crisis-affected areas. Activities also support the resilience of children and their communities, including through cash-based approaches in emergency situations, and strong accountability to affected populations.

Thanks to contributions like yours, UNICEF and partners reached the following various programmatic goals, as of August 2019:

More than 18,000 children with severe, acutre malnutrition admitted for therapeutic care;
More than 30,000 children vaccinated against measles;
Nearly 210,000 crisis-affected people accessing safe water;
Nearly 53,000 children reached with psychosocial support, including access to child-friendly spaces;
Nearly 1,000 children released from armed groups benefiting from socioeconomic reintegration and support;
More than 76,000 boys and girls in crisis-affected areas accessing education

UNICEF will continue working to ensure children in the Central African Republic survive and thrive. From access to health and nutrition services to education opportunities, access to safe water and essential psychosocial support, your contribution is vital.

In Partnership,
Whitney Simon

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Sep 10, 2019
Update: UNICEF in Emergencies

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

Students Post Informational Posters about Ebola

Dear Friend,

Thanks to your continued support of UNICEF’s emergency response efforts, UNICEF has been able to work quickly and effectively throughout the highly complex outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Ebola virus has a fearsome reputation as a fast and ruthless killer in Democratic Republic of Congo. But there is another story to tell – many survive following supportive treatment that is available. These survivors are then immune to the disease. Many others avoid infection by vaccination, which can be administered to health workers and family members, thus protecting them from infection from their loved ones. Due to your support, UNICEF is able to work with our partners to raise awareness on the treatment and vaccination which can change everything for Ebola affected communities. Since the outbreak began in August 2018, UNICEF has achieved the following results:

Reached more than 10 million people with lifesaving health messages
Reached 157,133 children in 888 schools with prevention messages
Assisted 830 families directly affected by Ebola
Provided specialist care for 686 Ebola orphans
Provided safe water to more than 1.3 million people in public, health facilities & schools

In order to prevent infections and save children’s lives, UNICEF will continue to scale our programs throughout the DRC and neighboring countries. These programs will aim to reach communities with health messaging that could keep them safe; boost water, sanitation and critical supplies in schools and health facilities; and provide counseling and special care to Ebola-affected children and their families.

Thank you for your support of our work and for investing in our emergency programs.

Sincerely,

Whitney Simon

irus has a fearsome reputation as a fast and ruthless killer in Democratic Republic of Congo. But there is another story to tell –many survive following supportive treatment that is available. These survivors are then immune to the disease. Many others avoid infection by vaccination, which can be administered to health workers and family members, thus protecting them from infection from their loved ones. Due to your support, UNICEF is able to work withour partners to raise awareness on the treatment and vaccination which can change everything for Ebola affected communities. Since the outbreak began in August 2018, UNICEF has achieved the following results:Reached more than 10 million people with lifesaving health messagesReached 157,133 children in 888 schools with prevention messagesAssisted 830 families directly affected by EbolaProvided specialist care for 686 Ebola orphansProvided safe water to more than 1.3 million people in public, health facilities & schoolsIn order to prevent infections and save children’s lives, UNICEF will continue to scale our programs throughout the DRC and neighboring countries. These programs will aim to reach communities with health messaging that could keep them safe; boost water, sanitation and critical supplies in schools and health facilities; and provide counseling and special care to Ebola-affected children and their families.Thank you for your support of our work and for investing in our emergency programs.Sincerely,Whitney Simon

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