UNICEF has appealed for $26.5 million in funding to help those affected by Storm Daniel in the Eastern Region. The funding will cover assistance to 250,000 people and will aim to help people access clean water and basic supplies. The funding will also target 75,000 children and their families to benefit from protection programs designed for children.
However, UNICEF has only been able to raise $6.4 million, leaving a large deficit in the needed financing budget estimated at $20 million. The situation is still fragile more than a month after the disaster, with more than 42,000 internally displaced people, including at least 16,000 children.
UNICEF expressed its concern about the situation of the health sector in the affected areas, noting the destruction of basic infrastructure, including private hospitals, and that more than 60% of the facilities were inoperable or only partially functioning, in addition to the death of 101 workers in the field. The organization indicated that water and sanitation systems were severely affected in Derna alone, and sewage systems were also severely damaged, exacerbating fears of a widespread health crisis.
