UNICEF supplies for Filipino children affected by super typhoon

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UNICEF supplies for Filipino children affected by super typhoon

(Xinhua) 13:39, November 16, 2013

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United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has dispatched critical life-saving supplies for Filipino children in typhoon-ravaged areas of Tacloban, Ormac and Roxas, an UNICEF official said here Friday.

The agency has started airlift hygiene kits, including soap, water containers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and sanitary pads, for 18,000 people in Tacloban over the last three days, the UNICEF said.

"Water supply service has been partially restored in Tacloban City with fuel, generators and spare parts secured for continued operations," said Ted Chaiban, director of Emergency Programs for UNICEF in a briefing at the United Nations headquarters. "This provides some safe drinking water to almost 200,000 people."

It also sent trucks with water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, worth of about 143 million U.S. dollars, to Tacloban.

Similar supplies were sent by the UNICEF to Roxas, including water tanks, water purification tablets, and squatting plates to set up latrines.

"The needs are immense and immediate, so our response has to be equally far-reaching," said Tomoo Hozumi, the UNICEF representative in the Philippines.

Hozumi said tents, diarrhea disease kits, emergency hygiene kits for 90,000 patients and tarpaulins for shelter are to be delivered in Tacloban in the next days as the aid effort continues.

UNICEF is also mobilizing education support and supplies to the most affected areas, such as tents, student school packs, teachers' packs and library kits.

The UN agency is setting up field offices in Cebu, Roxas, Tacloban and Ormo, and technical and logistical staff are already in place, the officials had said.

（Editor：WangXin、Chen Lidan）