CERF allocates $1.5 million for internally displaced persons in Myanmar

24 January 2012 : After more than a decade of cease-fire, more than 50,000 people have been displaced in Kachin State by recent fighting - the majority of whom are children and women. As skirmishes moved close to villages, people fled their homes, carrying few household possessions with them. Internally displaced people have sought refuge in local shelters, temporary camps and in host families. Recent assessments revealed a shortage of emergency shelter and non-food items, including warm clothing and blankets, as well as basic food and hygiene items. Assessment findings also highlighted a number of protection concerns - particularly for children and women - including landmines, family separation, and children being left unsupervised. The relatively high number of separated and unaccompanied children and female and/or child-headed households underscore the need to take preventive measures to mitigate potential risk factors.

The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $750,000 to the World Food Programme (WFP) to purchase and distribute food baskets to provide life-saving food aid for 21,000 beneficiaries for three months. Some $125,000 was allocated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to purchase and transport non-food items and build emergency shelter for more than 6,000 people. In addition, a rapid response grant of $74,000 has been given to UNHCR to launch protection coordination and referral systems for internally displaced persons (IDP), establish child protection mechanisms, set up child-friendly spaces in IDP sites and monitor vulnerable children. More than $600,000 has been provided to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to ensure the protection of children; reduce cases of malaria, diarrhoea and acute respiratory tract infection for children and women through preventive and curative services; assess the nutritional status of 6,650 under five children; improve the quality of drinking water for 35,000 IDPs and reduce the spread of communicable diseases by providing appropriate sanitary latrines for 20,000 IDPs.