It has been nearly three months since Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti and Unicef and partners are still working on delivering aid to the worst affected by the category 4 storm. A whopping 2 million people were affected by the storm, nearly a million of them were children. 1.4 million people required aid of which 600,000 were children. Aside from the loss of homes and crops, 716 schools suffered damage as did many health facilities and sanitation infrastructure. Unicef is working with the government of Haiti and other partners to deliver safe water on a daily basis to over 281,000 people, half of which are children.
Cholera vaccination campaign
Unicef is also engaged in a cholera vaccination campaign. The campaign has been very successful, reaching 807,395 people in November alone. Unicef has also managed to restore the cold-chain systems of 37 facilities and has restored services at 35 malnutrition outpatient treatment centres. The organisation has also restored schools making it possible for 4,200 children to return to school. It is estimated that 36,000 children will be able to return to schools rehabilitated by Unicef.
Working with local communities
Unicef collaborates closely with communities to fight the malnutrition that continues to affect Haiti’s children and adults who are finding it tough to recover as a result of extended drought and other effects of hurricane Matthew. The protection and interventions provided by Unicef are helping families that have lost their ability to earn a living and are targeted at preventing child separation. It is extremely common for parents who are experiencing difficulties to place their children in a residential care facility under the false belief their children will continue to receive the education parents can no longer afford to provide.
“Three months after Matthew, we can already see improvements: safe water is increasingly available, the vast majority of schools have reopened as have a number of health facilities; and areas that are the most difficult to access are receiving assistance. Unicef is continuing to fulfil its mandate and obligations to emergency and development efforts, “said Marc Vincent, Unicef Representative in Haiti.
Donors have opened their wallets
In order to continue delivering aid and intervention, Unicef needs money. The aid agency’s appeal for Haiti has risen from US$13.4 million before the hurricane hit, to US$36.6 million in the aftermath of the hurricane. By the end of the year, this target was 85% funded thanks to the generosity of donors. The money will allow Unicef to meet the most urgent needs of the children and families of Haiti.
