UN agencies assist post-war Angola with providing social services to civilians

Several United Nations agencies are supporting the Angolan Government's efforts to revitalize health, education and social services in the country, 15 months after a ceasefire ended three decades of civil war that destroyed 60 per cent of all hospitals and 5,000 schools.

Sixty per cent of Angola's children suffer from chronic malnutrition and 45 per cent do not go to school. UN agencies and development bodies such as the World Bank agree that investment in the country, coupled with effective partnerships, will yield rewards for Angolans.

Angola took a significant step on its long road to recovery when it partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for a national campaign to protect children from measles, a highly contagious disease that kills more young Angolans than any other preventable ailment.

Some 7.1 million children - 92 per cent of the population aged 9 months to 15 years - were vaccinated during the National Measles Campaign, which ended on 31 May. UNICEF estimates that 70,000 child lives and $16.8 million in medical costs will now be saved.

UNICEF is also supporting the "Back to School" initiative, the country's biggest education campaign to date, which has benefited 500,000 children. In addition, the Government has announced funding for a further 29,000 teachers across the country.

"This remains a decisive time in Angola with much to do. Social services were basically wiped out here, hundreds of thousands of Angolans are returning home, and many challenges remain in achieving universal education and routine immunization," UNICEF Representative Mario Ferrari said.

Assisting with the repatriation of Angolans abroad, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last Friday relocated the first group of 543 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agency is providing food and a package of domestic items, including blankets, kitchen sets and plastic sheeting to the returnees.

A second repatriation convoy of Angolan refugees is due to leave Tuesday from Kilueka and Nkondo camps in Bas-Congo Province. UNHCR in Katanga has received 16 additional trucks, which will allow the agency to gradually increase the number of refugees on each convoy.