€700,000 to bolster protection and reintegration of formerly abducted and other vulnerable children in north
KAMPALA, 26 June 2007 - UNICEF in Uganda today expressed its appreciation to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO) for its recent contribution of €700,000, approximately US $ 940,000 made toward implementing key elements of UNICEF's child protection programme in four conflict-affected districts in the country's north.
The contribution will assist projects, supported by the UNICEF, for the protection and social and economic reintegration of children and adolescents, subjected to or at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. An estimated 41,900 children and more than 8,000 persons aged 19-24 years old, living in camps for internally displaced persons and areas of IDP return and resettlement in Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Pader Districts, will benefit from the projects. This group includes children and young persons formerly associated with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), those affected by HIV/AIDS, those subject to sexual abuse and exploitation, those in contact with the law and those sleeping outside their traditional places of accommodation.
UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Keith McKenzie, said he was encouraged by the European Commission's continued solidarity with and support for the children and women of northern Uganda.
"The Humanitarian Aid Department has been robust, both in its commitment and contributions to ease the humanitarian impact of the conflict. This latest donation strengthens the frontline effort to build a protective environment for some of Uganda's most vulnerable children," he said.
Specific interventions include providing family-tracing, emergency shelter and household items, and reunification services and other immediate support for formerly abducted children returning from captivity; distributing school learning materials to encourage vulnerable children to complete their primary education; working with children's and adolescents' peer-support groups; and supporting visits to IDP camps and areas of IDP returns by trained social workers to identify and monitor specific cases of children subject to or at risk of harm.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works on the ground in over 150 developing and transitional countries to help children survive and thrive. The world's largest provider of vaccines for poor countries, UNICEF works to advance the Millennium Development Goals by supporting child health and nutrition, quality basic education, access to clean water and sanitation, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and HIV/AIDS.
For more information, please contact:
Chulho Hyun, UNICEF Media, Kampala, +256
772 222 347, chyun@unicef.org
www.unicef.org