BY KUDAKWASHE TAGWIREYI THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) ploughed US$146,79 million into humanitarian assistance targeting vulnerable women and children in 2021.
This was revealed in Unicef’s 2021 annual report released yesterday.
“In 2021, donors, development partners and UN joint programmes contributed over US$135 million to Unicef programmes, including through the multi-donor, the Development Funds, to respond to the needs of women and children in Zimbabwe,” the report reads in part.
Unicef representative Tajudeen Oyewale said the UN agency and its partners made huge interventions to support the country’s failing education and health delivery systems, including water and sanitation projects since the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The support to the healthcare system contributed to sustaining essential health and nutrition services, and the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. We worked with the government to introduce several measures to continue learning during the pandemic and to reopen and keep schools safe,” Oyewale said.
In 2021, Unicef and partners provided treatment to 81% of the adolescents affected by HIV/Aids and reached 400 000 children with emergency nutrition interventions.
The UN agency also supported an estimated 1,2 million people with basic water supply services, while providing learning opportunities to 150 000 children with disabilities.
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