UN appeals for $10 million to relieve flood-hit communities in Laos

The United Nations has appealed for nearly $10 million in urgent humanitarian aid to assist communities hit by recent floods in Laos that have damaged farmland, infrastructure and the homes of over 200,000 people.

“The floods of August 2008 pose a serious mid- to long-term threat to the health, food security, welfare and livelihoods, especially of the poorest communities affected by them,” said UN Resident Coordinator Sonam Yangchen Rana.

Disease, malnutrition and loss of livelihoods are among the threats facing 11 provinces hit by some of the worst flooding in a century in the South-East Asian country.

“Families who were already close to the poverty borderline risk being pushed under due to the loss of rice paddy, food stocks and other assets,” the UN representative stated. “Caregivers who already struggled to ensure their children received a sufficiently nutritious diet will find the task even harder.”

Ms. Rana noted that while flooding is a regular incident in the region, the calamity of this year’s mid-August inundations was a severe setback to development progress in large parts of the country.

A rapid needs assessment conducted by the Government, UN and other parties has identified the immediate priorities to be addressed: clean drinking water and sanitation, food supplies, essential medicines and primary health care, emergency replacement seeds, immunization and surveillance for disease outbreaks and nutrition status.

Kick-starting the relief activities, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has already contributed $2.024 million towards the joint appeal that proposes 15 projects in eight sectors. The appeal is requesting a total amount of $9,945,998 to address the humanitarian and essential early recovery needs.