As more and more Malian refugees arrive in Mauritania, UNICEF steps up relief efforts

As more and more Malians arrive at Mb?ra refugee camp in Mauritania, UNICEF and partners are scaling up life-saving services for refugee and host community, alike.

Visit Humanitarian Action for Children 2013: Mauritania

MBERA REFUGEE CAMP, Mauritania, 19 March 2013 ? Nightfall in Mb?ra refugee camp brings some relief for the refugees and humanitarian workers after a hard day in this hot, dry, remote region.

Mb?ra is a busy place, home to more than 75,000 refugees who continue to arrive in Mauritania, having fled conflict in Mali. It is the largest refugee camp that has been established to respond to the crisis, compared to those in Burkina Faso and the Niger, and it continues to grow.

Rescue and relief efforts are urgently being scaled up to meet the basic needs of the refugees.

Mohamed treated for malnutrition

Mohammed and his four children are among the refugees to arrive since the beginning of 2013. Leaving their home near Timbuktu was a difficult decision ? they faced an uncertain future. They fled and took only what they could carry.

When the family reached the Fassala refugee transit centre, just over the border into Mauritania, the children?s health was assessed. Three-year-old Mohamed was diagnosed with malnutrition and given treatment, including fortified milk.

Within four days, the family was settled in the Mb?ra camp, which was re-established by UNHCR and the Government of Mauritania in 2012. There, they receive assistance from a range of organizations, including UNICEF.

Water, sanitation and hygiene package provided

UNICEF is working alongside UNHCR and partners to reinforce interventions in Mb?ra camp and to respond to the needs of new refugees. Life-saving humanitarian services are provided to children and women, including a comprehensive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) package.

Access to safe drinking water, latrines and hygiene materials such as soap is of critical importance in preventing disease. In response to the needs of Malian refugees and the nutritional crisis of 2012, as of November, UNICEF had provided 5,598 WASH kits and awareness messages to severe acute malnutrition-affected carers/mother and child.

The effects of the WASH package are immediate. According to WASH specialist Etienne Yongwe, of United Nations Standby partner CANADEM, ?WASH interventions are having a positive impact on the lives of refugees and helping the new arrivals to rapidly meet their essential needs. The needs of women and children are also addressed through a ?WASH in Nutrition? integrated service in nutrition centres. By working on the two sectors simultaneously, we improve and reinforce the health outcomes for children.??

Refugees and host communities benefit

UNICEF is also expanding its interventions for host communities in the area surrounding the camp. A WASH package has been extended to assist children and women in the area who have also been affected by the nutritional crisis across the Sahel.

?We are providing life-saving and resilience services to the newly arrived refugees, and we are striving to support local population with a comprehensive vision to meet UNICEF?s Core Commitments for Children,? stresses UNICEF Representative in Mauritania Lucia Elmi. ?Currently, our results and achievements cannot keep pace with the dire and growing needs of children in Mauritania. More resources and more support are required from all our donors and partners.?

The WASH and WASH in Nutrition interventions complement health, nutrition, child protection and education actions. Together, they bring a broad package of relief and resilience services to refugees and host communities.

Mohammed and his family are now getting used to life in Mb?ra camp, and little Mohamed is beginning to recover. Like many other children in the camp, he faces an uncertain future, but here, he is at least safe and has access to basic services. The whole family is now benefitting from integrated interventions, and they can begin to look to the future with hope.

News source: WebWire

Source:
As more and more Malian refugees arrive in Mauritania, UNICEF steps up relief efforts

See also:

NY-based Mobile Repair Company Repair Sharks Launches Exclusive Repair Services for iPad Mini and iPad 4
Repair Sharks is one-of-its-kind mobile and tablet repair agency based in Long Island, New York. Every repair job done by Repair Shark comes with 60 to 90 days of warranty, and the company has rolled...

Twin Wins for GREEN
On February 21 in Orlando, with much anticipation and industry praise, The Company of Animals walked away with two awards for the highly celebrated GREEN interactive pet feeder. First, an audience of...

Edgeware Enables Fast Deployment of Companion Apps for Premium, Pay TV Services
TV Connect, stand 167 -- Edgeware, the technology leader in distributed video delivery, today announced the latest IPTV version of its Distributed Video Delivery Network (D-VDN) Solution. The most...

Two-thirds of victims of left-over munitions in Mali are children

BAMAKO/GENEVA UNICEF is warning of a rising threat to communities in Central and Northern Mali from ammunition and explosive devices. Since April 2012, 60 victims of explosive remnants of war have been reported(1), with children making up two thirds of the total. The level of risk is likely to further increase when displaced families start returning home to areas that have seen the worst of the conflict.

Last December, UNICEF estimated that at least 100,000 children and parents were exposed to the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Northern Mali. This estimate was made before the military intervention, which has involved air strikes and ground operations since January. Approximately 200,000 children from conflict-affected areas in Central and Northern Mali are at risk of injury or death due to explosive remnants of war (ERW), according to UNICEF.

Children were playing with a device in my courtyard. I thought there was no risk. I threw it on a stone and it exploded, said 19 year-old Amadou, a UXO survivor from Mopti who lost the finger on his left hand. When I woke up, there was blood everywhere. My two brothers, 4 and 16, were injured. My niece died. She was only 18 months-old. I feel sad and guilty.

The danger is now at every corner in communities from Central and Northern Mali where heavy fighting took place, said Franoise Ackermans, UNICEF Representative in Mali. Explosions can happen anywhere and anytime -- when children are on their way to school or when a woman goes to the market. Our teams on the ground report charred remains of war vehicles and a lot of abandoned ammunition.

A mother will not bring her children to the health centre if she believes the surroundings are contaminated with UXOs. A teacher will not go back to school if the courtyard is full of abandoned ammunition, Ms. Ackermans added.

In order to better protect civilians from the explosive threat, UNICEF-supported partners have held public events over the past five months in schools, markets and workplaces that have raised the awareness of an estimated 27,000 people.

We are not always with adults, said 13 year-old Adidiatou after attending a session. If children dont know, they may pick up a grenade or another explosive thing as if it was a toy. They may not realize it can hurt. If children dont participate to these information activities, its a pity.

National and Community based radio stations have also been used to disseminate life-saving messages in five languages, while the agency has also produced posters and other material using Malian artists.

Preliminary field reports for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) suggest that large quantities of explosive remnants of war (ERW) -- including unexploded and abandoned ammunition such as artillery shells, mortars, rockets, grenades, bullets and aircraft bombs -- have been left behind in the aftermath of air attacks and ground operations. The highest concentration of ERWs is likely to be found in areas where heavy fighting took place such as in Diabaly, Douentza, Konna and Gao.

It is clear that Mali is impacted by the presence of landmines and explosive ordnance, said Gareth Edwin Francis, UNMAS Operations Officer. The United Nations has a duty to address this through the swift deployment of survey and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in order to ensure safe access for all actors and, importantly, to respond to the needs of the Malian population. As one of several steps to this end, UNMAS is currently planning the imminent deployment of a team to Konna in Central Mali. More will follow.

In 2013, UNICEF and its partners are planning to step up mine-risk education activities and radio sensitization campaigns, especially in Northern regions in order to raise the awareness of about 400,000 people in conflict affected areas.

___________

(1) 53 people injured, including 38 children and 15 adults, and 7 people killed, including 5 children and 2 adults.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The worlds largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: http://www.unicef.org

News source: WebWire

Source:
Two-thirds of victims of left-over munitions in Mali are children

See also:

Used Chevy Transmissions for Sale Now Receive Two-Year Warranties at GotTransmissions.com
Chevrolet is part of the General Motors company and represents the second largest automobile brand in the United States. The engines and transmissions that are used in these vehicles are factory...

Removal of Children from the Commonwealth
One of the most complex issues faced by the Probate and Family Court arises when one parent wishes to relocate out of Massachusetts with a minor child, or "remove" the child from the state. The...

'Voice In A Million' Set To Perform At Wembley In An Extra Special Celebration Of Mums
The 'Arena Spectacle' will see around 5,000 members of the UK children's choir take to the stage at one of the worlds best known music venues, to perform a wide ranging repertoire of engaging numbers...