UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Published purpose

16 September, 2010 - Pakistan is experiencing its worst monsoon flooding in at least 80 years. Government estimates put the number of people affected by the floods at 21 million. Millions of people have been displaced and over 1.8 million houses have been either damaged or destroyed. Assessments to establish the degree to which affected populations are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance continue. CIDA is supporting UNICEF to provide safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene promotion services, and health supplies through 25 UNICEF-supported medical camps, to nearly 1 million people. The displaced population includes a large number of children under the age of five for whom UNICEF is supplying high-energy biscuits to prevent cases of malnutrition. UNICEF teams comprising health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene specialists are on the ground, in the worst-affected areas, supporting the local authorities to help avert an outbreak of water-borne diseases and to restore dignified sanitation and washing options, especially for women and girls.