UNICEF is appealing for $2.8 billion for children in humanitarian crises around the world

UNICEF calls € 2.8 billion dollars to help 43 million children in humanitarian crises around the world.
For the first time, the major part of the appeal (25%) is intended for the education of children in emergency situations. This year, UNICEF is planning to significantly increase the number of children who will be provided access to education, which are experiencing the consequences of crises – from 4.9 million at the beginning of 2015 to 8.2 million in 2016. More than half (5 million) will be Syrian children inside the country or in neighbouring countries.
“Millions of children deprived of their education,” says Afshan Khan, Director of Emergency Programmes of UNICEF. “Education is a life-saving intervention for children, giving them the opportunity to learn and play, in the midst of the appalling situation of the shots and the grenades. This year a quarter of our call intended for the education. With the training of the mind of children and young people, we are building the hope, so that they can envision a better future for themselves, their families and their communities, and to contribute to breaking the cycle of chronic crisis.”
The appeal of the UNICEF for 2016 has doubled compared with the corresponding three years ago. The two main causes, the conflicts and the extreme weather conditions, forcing an ever-growing number of children to leave their homes and expose millions more to serious food shortages, violence, disease, abuse, and endangerment of their training.
About 1 in 9 children around the world today live in conflict zones. In 2015, children living in countries and regions affected by conflict were twice as likely to die from causes that are mostly preventable, before they reach the age of five, than those in the other countries.
Climate change is a growing threat, with over half a billion children live in areas of extremely high frequency flood and nearly 160 million, live in zones of high or extremely high drought. One of the most powerful weather phenomena El-Nino ever recorded poses a further risk.
The number of people who have been forced to flee their homes continues to grow, with only Europe to receive over 1 million refugees and immigrants in 2015.
“In the last few months I have seen with my own eyes kids that have pushed beyond the limits of human suffering, in Burundi, in the northeast of Nigeria, and along the route of migrants and refugees to Europe,” says Afshan Khan. “Around the world, millions of children have been forced to flee their homes because of violence and conflict. The global refugee crisis is also a crisis for the protection of children who have taken to the streets, which are at increased risk of becoming victims of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.”

The call “Humanitarian Action UNICEF for Children 2016” aims to a total of 76 million people in 63 countries.
The biggest part of the appeal – $1,16 billion – is intended for the vital assistance needed for Syria and the refugee crisis in Syria, in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The main needs include safe water, immunizations, education and protection of children.
UNICEF is also calling for $30,8 million to meet refugee and migration crisis in Europe.
UNICEF is calling for $180 million for children in Yemen, where nearly 10 million children are in immediate need of humanitarian aid in the midst of a conflict that is about to complete a year.
UNICEF appeals for $25,5 million to help in the protection of children in Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, and for the provision of assistance to refugees from Burundi who have fled to Rwanda and Tanzania.
UNICEF is requesting $188,9 million to meet the humanitarian needs in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad, including addressing the effects of violence in northeastern Nigeria.
The UNICEF’s appeal covers also seriously υποχρηματοδοτούμενες emergencies, including the protracted crisis in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, all of which were funded below 40% in 2015.
The financial resources collected by the UNICEF will be used for both immediate humanitarian response and long-term interventions on the readiness of countries in the face of future disasters.
In 2015, UNICEF has provided humanitarian assistance to millions of children, including the provision of access to safe water to 22.6 million people, the vaccination of 11.3 million children against measles, treat 2 million children for the most severe forms of malnutrition, the provision of vital psychological support to 2 million children and access to basic education for 4 million children.