China donates 2 mln USD to UNICEF to help children in Somalia

2017-11-22 09:43:05 | From:http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1076550.shtml

Chinese government on Tuesday donated 2 million US dollars to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to help reach 15,000 young children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the southern and central regions of Somalia.

Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian said Beijing was committed to supporting humanitarian response in Somalia to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable group, mainly children and women, are met.

"Through UNICEF, we hope to reach the affected populations, especially those in remote places, with lifesaving services," Qin said during a ceremony held in Somali capital Mogadishu.

He said the money will be used to procure therapeutic food and medicines for the vulnerable people including 15,000 children who are affected by the current drought and who suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

"We are pleased to be working with UNICEF to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable group -- children and women -- are met. Together, we can help the Somali people go through this difficult time," Qin added.

According to the UNICEF, the Horn of Africa nation faces humanitarian crisis, which was sparked by the failure of rainy seasons that resulted into massive displacement, disease outbreaks and malnutrition with 6.2 million people now in need of humanitarian aid. Four million of them are children.

It also estimates that there could be more than 230,000 children with severe acute malnutrition in the next year.

UNICEF Somalia Representative Steven Lauwerier lauded the Chinese government for the timely donation, saying the Chinese assistance to Somalia is a concrete manifestation of China's role as a responsible major country.

"The timely aid from the Chinese government and the Chinese people will go a long way toward saving children's lives. We hope this will be the beginning of a long and productive partnership between China and UNICEF in Somalia," Lauwerier said.

"Thanks to the joint response by the international community, we have managed to avert a famine so far," he said, adding that sustained assistance is needed throughout 2018 to prevent the loss of lives and collapse of livelihoods.

Deputy Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Elmi Omar Ainsane thanked China for providing such humanitarian assistance.

"We are very grateful and thank the Chinese government for helping us during this hard time. It is a big contribution and help to the humanitarian crisis here in Somalia. We also thank UNICEF for its role in caring for the children and mothers," Ainsane said.

The UN children's agency, in collaboration with its partners, has provided treatment for severe acute malnutrition to over 200,000 Somali children, nearly all of whom recovered. However, the needs remain immense.

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