While the drought crisis in East Africa
has temporarily faded from the headlines, its enormous human impact still
requires the world's help. UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy's five-day,
five-nation tour seeks to draw renewed attention to the desperate circumstances
facing millions of people across the region.
The situation for children, the weakest
part of the population, is the most dire. As the drought enters the arid
summer they will become even more susceptible to malnutrition, disease
and even death. Massive relief is required. Ms. Bellamy's trip follows
a United Nations funding appeal for more than $378 million to address the
immediate humanitarian needs of 13 million people in the region. The UNICEF
portion of the appeal totals some $30 million in the areas of health, nutrition,
water and sanitation, and education.
From June 15-20 Ms. Bellamy visits Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. At the conclusion, she stops in London to brief the international press on the situation of children in the drought-affected region, and share her observations about what is needed to ensure their survival, health and future.
For more information on UNICEF, visit its website at http://www.unicef.org