With big shortfall in funds, UNICEF warns of hardships in Central African Republic
With its $6-million appeal for the Central African Republic (CAR) less than 20 per cent funded and resurgent violence in the north displacing more than 25,000 children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 50,000 youngsters are at risk from preventable diseases and 1.4 million people vulnerable to HIV transmission.
With its $6-million appeal for the Central African Republic (CAR) less than 20 per cent funded and resurgent violence in the north displacing more than 25,000 children, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that 50,000 youngsters are at risk from preventable diseases and 1.4 million people vulnerable to HIV transmission.
“The decade-long armed conflict in the Central African Republic has gravely worsened the well-being and livelihood of children and women throughout the country,” UNICEF said in its latest donor update.
Although CAR returned to democracy in 2005 following well-conducted legislative and presidential elections, the post-election era has been characterized by increasing violence and insecurity.
“Recently, fighting between the national army and rebels groups, as well as increased banditry, have displaced approximately 50,000 persons inside the country… most of which are women and children scattered into forests and other safe havens, fearing reprisals from a variety of armed groups,” the update said.
Latest assessments indicate a continuous degradation of basic social indicators, well below figures from 2000. Only 37 per cent of primary school-age girls attend school. Less than 30 per cent of children are immunized against vaccine preventable diseases.
HIV prevalence is estimated at more than 15 per cent, the highest in the region, resulting in an increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS, including 110,000 AIDS orphans. As a result of these conditions, the population in CAR has lost six months of life expectancy every year since 1988.
Inroads in the desperate situation that UNICEF has been able to make in close collaboration with national and international partners include a measles immunization campaign in January reaching 332,500 children aged 6 months to 14 years, 95 per cent of target; nearly 118,000 children aged 11-59 months de-wormed, 90 per cent of target; and 2,500 wooden benches out of 5,000 planned to be distributed in coming days to improve learning conditions for 7,500 primary school children.