Over 160,000 displaced children protected from harsh winter in Iraq
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Multimedia available here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4080JAYJA
7 February 2019 – As cold winter weather sweeps across Iraq, UNICEF has provided warm clothes to over 160,000 internally displaced and refugee children, including those in hard-to-reach areas such as Sinjar, where UNICEF has maintained a strong presence since violence escalated in 2013.
“Although fighting has subsided in Iraq, an estimated 1.85 million people, including 825,000 children, remain displaced,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “One third of all displaced children live in camps, in poorly insulated tents, often with no winter clothes or shoes. These children have little protection against flooding and the bitter cold, putting them at risk of illness, hypothermia and death.”
As part of UNICEF’s winter response, over 100,000 displaced children in camps in Anbar and in and around Mosul received supplies to keep them warm. Winter support has also included vulnerable Syrian refugees through the innovative use of vouchers.
In mountainous areas like Sinjar, temperatures drop below freezing, exposing children and pregnant mothers – many of them living in camps – to the elements. UNICEF is helping keep these vulnerable minorities warm: Nearly 50,000 Yazidi children and over 2,500 pregnant Yazidi mothers living in the area received coats, boots, hats, gloves, sweaters and trousers.
“We all need to do the best we can to make sure that vulnerable families do not spend another winter out in the cold in camps or in temporary shelters,” Fore said. “Now that the violence has subsided, and a new government is in place, Iraq has a unique window of opportunity to rebuild the country for all its children, so that they can live in peace and harmony.”
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Notes to editors:
This winter, UNICEF aims to reach 1.3 million children with winter support across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the State of Palestine, Syria and Tukey.
Photos and multimedia materials are available for download here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4080JAYJA
For more information, please contact:
Alexandra Murdoch, Media Manager, 0207 375 6179, [email protected]
Unicef UK Media Team, 0207 375 6030, [email protected]
About Unicef
Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children, promoting the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
Unicef UK raises funds to protect children in danger, transform their lives and build a safer world for tomorrow’s children. As a registered charity we raise funds through donations from individuals, organisations and companies and we lobby and campaign to keep children safe. Unicef UK also runs programmes in schools, hospitals and with local authorities in the UK.
For more information please visit unicef.org.uk