nairiporter | Hope for Zambia

Parallel to the school program in which I will participate from March 1st, our organization is also conducting a large-scale aids campaign into Zambia...

Zambia: UNICEF Pledges $1m Supplies to Flood Victims
http://allafrica.com/stories/200802260057.html

THE United Nations Children's Education Fund (UNICEF) has pledged over US$1 million in supplies that include tents, school supplies, and basic household items for families whose houses have been washed away by floods in various parts of Zambia.

UNICEF is further working to provide emergency assistance to 70,000 Zambians, many of whom have lost their houses and either have no or limited access to schools and health care.

It has observed that this is the second consecutive year that Zambia has been affected by floods.

According to a statement released by UNICEF in Lusaka yesterday, many small farms had been flooded by heavy rains.

It estimated 45 per cent of this year's crop harvest in Southern Province had been lost.

And UNICEF Zambia representative, Lotta Sylwander, said although the Government authorised the United Nations to officially work on the emergency situation last week, UNICEF was already responding by helping to plan a coordinated response and pre-positioning relief supplies following the appeal by Zambian Government.

"One of many examples is that, thanks to our partnership with the Lusaka City Council (LCC), UNICEF has been able to help the LCC ensure that latrines are limed and shallow wells buried to avoid cholera outbreaks in badly affected areas," she said.

She said more help was on its way and that a two-month supply of therapeutic milk for nearly 600 severely malnourished children would soon arrive.

In coming days, 5,000 non-food item kits would be flown into Zambia from UNICEF's supply division in Kenya.

Each kit would provide a family with a jerry can, two cooking pots, utensils, plates, mugs, two buckets, and a bag that could hold up to 50 kilogrammes of materials.

Meanwhile, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) organ on politics, defence and security director, Tanki Mothae, has said the assessment of the flood situation in the region is complete and a report will soon be presented to SADC chairperson, Levy Mwanawasa.

Lieutenant-General Mothae said it was regrettable that within a short space of time, floods had again hit some member countries of the regional grouping.

He said this at a Press briefing at the on-going SADC council of ministers in Lusaka yesterday.

He said the report would be presented to the ministerial committee before being passed on to Dr Mwanawasa.