Islamabad, January 4, 2012 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners today welcomed the opening of 35 new schools in Muzaffargah, Rajanpur and Rahimyar Khan in Southern Punjab, three districts hit by the 2010 monsoon floods. These schools have been constructed by the children’s agency at locations where schools were damaged or completely destroyed by the floods that devastated Pakistan from July to September 2010.
More than 4,500 children are now attending these schools which have been handed over to the Punjab Education Department.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has contributed US$1.2 million for the construction of 24 schools and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has contributed an additional US$250,000 for the construction of seven schools. Funds for four schools have been provided by the governments of Italy, Hungary and Sweden.