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UNICEF UK reacts to announcement of £2million of UK aid for Syrian refugees in
The UK Government has announced they will provide UNICEF with £2million for water, sanitation and child protection services for Syrian refugees in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region.
Around 200,000 Syrian refugees have now fled to Iraq and children are in desperate need of emergency supplies, as well as psychological support to help them cope with what they have been through.
Jon Sparkes, Chief Operating Officer of UNICEF UK, says:
"We welcome this vital support from the UK Government to help Syrian children who are struggling to cope in desperate situations.
When I was in Northern Iraq I met Syrian children who had witnessed unspeakable violence. Many had seen family and friends killed in front of them. One three year old boy had been shot in his fathers’ arms as he tried to carry him to safety in Syria.
These children have lived through experiences that no child should and need our urgent help. UNICEF is doing everything it can to provide psychological support and emergency supplies like clean water and medications. However, the numbers are huge and we need more funds if we are to reach every child in need.
We must take action now to sharpen the world’s focus on the humanitarian fallout of this conflict. Otherwise we risk an entire generation of Syrian children losing their childhoods and their chance of a future."
Notes for editors:For more information please contact Rose Foley, UNICEF UK: + 44 (0)20 7375 6077 / M: + 44 (0)7964 296 431/ rosef@unicef.org.uk
About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation for children, working in over 190 countries to help every child realise their full potential. We work with partners to transform the lives of children everywhere. UNICEF provides health care, water, nutrition, education and protection for children. The most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are our priority. As champion of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we work to protect and promote the rights of every child. UNICEF UK raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work and advocates for lasting change for children everywhere. We are a UK registered charity, supported entirely by voluntary donations. We do not receive any money from the UN. For more information, please visit www.unicef.org.uk
