UNICEF Continues Helping Filipino Children Affected by Storm

These supplies will be used to support the government and other agencies in their work to alleviate the suffering of children, ensure their health and reduce risks, said the director of UNICEF in the Philippines, Lotta Sylwander.

The priority is to protect the lives of children, in an emergency, they are always among the most vulnerable population and are more at risk in the face of the lack of drinking water, food shortages, epidemics, among others, she warned.

The cargo includes sanitation supplies such as gallons and water tanks for community use, purification tablets, and tents.

UNICEF also showed particular concern for displaced communities due to the Marawi conflict as the camps where those people were staying reported serious damage and many tents were destroyed by the storm.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), severe floods and landslides have occurred in several places in the Philippines.

To date, at least 200 deaths and more than 100 missing persons have been reported. Some 268,000 people were affected by Tembin and 160,000 of them have been displaced, said the UN agency. (Prensa Latina)