UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

May 2017 – Heavy rainfall across the country since January 2017, the most important in over 20 years, has affected over 1 million people and impacted over 200,000 homes. The country’s infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, schools and health centres, has also been severely impacted. As a result, food prices have increased and access to basic services became limited. The environmental conditions in the affected communities and shelters, joined with limited access to health services, increases the risk of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and Zika as well as acute diarrheal diseases. Affected populations, including girls, boys and adolescents, also face considerable protection risks as a result of injuries, displacements and/or stress due to the disaster. With GAC’s support and other donors, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is helping to increase access to basic water and sanitation, nutrition and protection services to disaster-affected households in Peru. Project activities include: (1) improving access to water and sanitation services in temporary shelters and schools; (2) providing nutritional care for pregnant and lactating mothers and children under three years old; and (3) improving access to safe play spaces and psychosocial support for children and adolescents in temporary shelters.