UNICEF releases Tsunami 2007 report

Three years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and devastated towns and communities, UNICEF has released its 2007 Tsunami report (http://www.unicef.org/emerg/disasterinasia/) highlighting progress made for children since the 2004 catastrophe.

Including a detailed financial analysis of funds collected and expenditures to date, the report shows significant gains in education, particularly in the area of school construction in the eight affected countries. Since 2004, more than 150 million US dollars have been spent on education – more than a third of which were put into use in the past year. UNICEF has completed construction on more than 100 schools, and the building process is underway for another 254.

The report also highlights progress in UNICEF’s other programme areas, including health and nutrition, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS and child protection in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Some of the achievements in these areas include:

• Construction on 59 health facilities has been completed, while construction is underway on an additional 115;
• More than 20,000 water points have been restored, serving over 730,000 people, and over 42,000 latrines constructed;
• Insecticide-treated mosquito nets have been distributed, benefiting nearly 3.5 million people;
• Over 1.2 million children have benefited from UNICEF’s psycho-social activities;
• HIV/AIDS awareness and education campaigns have reached over 330,000 people.

In addition to UNICEF’s achievements to date, the 2007 Tsunami Monitoring Report also highlights the challenges that often hinder recovery programmes. For example, work in Sri Lanka and Somalia has in some cases been halted due to a resurgence of violence in the past year. Also, construction in Indonesia has been hampered by the lack of new roads and unresolved land titles, monitoring and evaluation in the Maldives by the dispersed geography, and access in Myanmar by geography and security.

Realizing that lasting recovery will take years, UNICEF tries not only to move quickly, but also to be accountable and ensure its work has lasting impact. The aim is not to find quick solutions that cannot be sustained, but to build back better, involving communities and local governments in the recovery and rebuilding process. With these long-term goals in mind, UNICEF’s tsunami programmes and corresponding funding are planned through the end of 2009.

Source: UNICEF

Broadband revolutionizes education on remote Maldives atolls

Maldives, 26 November 2007 – In a historical event for the Maldives today, the country is launching 20 broadband-enabled, child-friendly learning centres, which link 20 of the country's atolls.

Supported by UNICEF, the connected Teacher Resource Centres (TRCs) will create a virtual learning environment accessible throughout the Maldives.

Because this Indian Ocean archipelago is made of 1,200 small islands – 200 of which are inhabited – up to 80 per cent of teacher-training costs are related to transportation. As a result, many teachers remain untrained. The TRCs will greatly alleviate these logistical problems, reaching teachers and children that are otherwise hard to reach.

"It's down to basics. Transport is costly, making it expensive and often dangerous for children to travel between islands to get a better education and for teachers to upgrade their skills," said UNICEF Representative in the Maldives Ken Maskall.

‘A child-friendly teacher’

On remote Rashdoo Island, teacher Asina Ahmed connects to the Internet and uses a ‘smart board’ with a touch-sensitive screen to liven up a math class. The teacher invites Aishath Zayba Ismail, 8, to count the number of cherries in a fruit basket. Ismail approaches, places her hand over the images and glides each cherry across the white board. With a special pen she writes the words 'four cherries' on the screen.

Before the Internet and smart board arrived, there was no interactive learning in Rashdoo Island. Now, broadband connectivity across the atolls has enabled new learning methods to take off, making classrooms fun while fostering children's communications skills.

"The Internet and smart board have made me a child-friendly teacher," said Asina Ahmed. "The lessons are e-mailed each day and I can use the Internet to show children simple things – like what a cherry tree farm looks like – unlike a photograph in a text book."

Connecting remotely

Literacy rates in the Maldives exceed 90 per cent, with nearly all children receiving some form of primary education. However, the enrolment rate in secondary school drops sharply. UNICEF estimates that more than 30 per cent of Maldivian teachers are untrained; many islands have up to 100 pupils per trained primary-school teacher.

Even though some 70 per cent of the population live on islands far from the capital, the TRCs will make it possible for them to connect remotely. Rashdoo is just 1 of the 20 islands to be connected so far.

Rashdoo Island's chief, Mohamed Shafi, is a former teacher himself and believes that the new technology has reduced the frustration of learning for many students. "The smart board has brought the world to our children's feet," Mr. Shafi said.

Source: UNICEF

USAID Provides Assistance to Maldives Flood Victims

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Due to the effects of recent flooding in the Republic of Maldives, the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $100,000 to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for emergency water and sanitation services to the affected populations. On May 22, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Robert O. Blake declared a disaster and authorized U.S. assistance.

Beginning May 15, seasonal high tides and large waves exacerbated by intense winds flooded at least 55 of the 194 inhabited islands in the Maldives. Flood waters affected local infrastructure, water supplies, and crops on many islands, but did not cause any deaths, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The flooding is the most widespread on record, apart from the December 2004 tsunami, according to the Maldives Government.

USAID will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as appropriate.

For more information about USAID's emergency humanitarian assistance programs, please visit: www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/disaster_assistance/.

Source: USAID

UN agencies assist flood-stricken Maldives

United Nations agencies are providing much-needed assistance to the Maldives, which is suffering from the effects of two days of wave swells last week which have impacted at least 35 islands in 13 atolls in the Indian Ocean nation.

“Except for the tsunami in 2004, the Maldives has never before faced such widespread and simultaneous flooding of so many islands,” said John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The UN was part of a rapid assessment team, also comprising personnel from the Government, the International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (IFRC), deployed on 19 May to five islands in the hardest-hit Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), while no deaths have been reported, approximately 1,650 people have been forced to leave their homes while 217 housing units as well as several harbours and jetties have been damaged.

Heath and education facilities are functional in spite of the flooding and considerable damage, with streets strewn with garbage, debris being widespread and septic tanks needing repair.

The Government of the Maldives is appealing for international support and for UN aid in the relief and recovery efforts.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is supplying 10 water tanks and five rainwater harvesting kits to Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, while the UN World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating with the Government’s Ministry of Health on possible aid that may be required. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is working with authorities to assist in livelihood recovery.

The Government has distributed emergency items, such as food, water and mattresses, as well as a mobile water desalination plant.

Source: United Nations News Service

UNICEF Launch a report on children in South Asia

Featuring new health index with country-by-country data

Who:

• Dr. Nafis Sadik, former Executive-Director, UNFPA, current member of Board of Governors, MH Human Development Center;
• Mrs. Khadija Haq, President, Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre;
• Dr. Rima Salah, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF;Dr. Cecilia Ugaz, Senior Policy Advisor, Human Development Report Office, UNDP
• Dr. Ronald Waldman, Professor, Columbia University; recognized Expert in Child Health in developing countries
• Co-coordinator of the UN Millennium Project's Task Force on Child Health and Maternal Health

Where: UNICEF House, Labouisse Hall, Three UN Plaza, on 44th Street, between First and Second Avenues.

When: Wednesday, 27 July 2005 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

What: The Report presents the condition of health in South Asia and its link to poverty reduction and economic growth. In-depth analysis of the experience of seven South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Critical issues in the report addresses are equity and economic growth in the context of attaining and sustaining human development; the role of the government in providing and ensuring quality healthcare, and policies needed for improving productivity and quality of life to all.

The Report also introduces a new index, Health Index, as a proxy for overall health status of a country.

Source: unicef