UNICEF dispatches aid to flood-hit Venezuela

Aiming to ease the emergency conditions caused by recent flooding in Venezuela, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has allocated $100,000 for initial relief efforts being carried out in coordination with the country's Government.

The agency will seek first to re-establish basic services for children, provide psychosocial support and dispatch supplies such as water purification tablets.

Tomorrow, counseling will begin in the state of Falcón, one of seven major areas affected by the flooding, which officials estimate has killed more than a dozen people and displaced 18,000 others.

UNICEF's senior representative in Venezuela, Anna Lucia D'Emilio, stressed the importance of keeping affected children with their families. She said the agency is coordinating its efforts with national authorities to ensure the strict protection of human rights during the crisis.

Over the course of this week, heavy rains have caused flooding in the states of Vargas, Carabobo, Yaracuy, Falcón, Aragua, Miranda, and in the Metropolitan District of Caracas. Landslides have occurred also in Vargas and Miranda states.