Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – based on a UN website report, As of today, UNICEF’s US$479 million appeal to sustain essential basic services for children this year is just 38 per cent funded. The most immediate and critical funding gap is for emergency water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) operations, including for the COVID-19 response.
Of the 8.4 million Yemenis whose access to WASH will be affected because of insufficient funding, a total of 4 million people – nearly half of them children – directly depend on UNICEF. They are among the most vulnerable Yemenis due to conflict, cholera and internal displacement.
Marixie Mercado, UNICEF spokesperson in Geneva, said “It means we will not be able to distribute basic family hygiene kits that include soap, which is so critical for preventing both cholera and COVID in a context where millions don’t have access to handwashing facilities.”
She added,”Children in the heart of the world’s worst humanitarian disaster need help. Funding Yemen’s WASH needs and COVID-19 response is critical to their survival. We appeal to donors to step up and dig even deeper to support this lifesaving work.”
International donors this month announced $1.35 billion in pledges for the country. So far, nearly half, or $637 million, has been paid, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Friday.
