UNICEF NZ Grateful for Kiwi Generosity to Philippines

UNICEF NZ Emergency Appeal. Donate at: www.unicef.org.nz/philippines

One month on from Typhoon Haiyan, UNICEF New Zealand is delighted to announce that donations by New Zealanders to its Philippines Emergency Appeal have reached $2m. This figure surpasses any amount UNICEF NZ has ever raised for an emergency.

Dennis McKinlay, Executive Director at UNICEF NZ, said “We were over the moon to reach $1m in fundraising, so to break the $2m mark is a real testament to the continued generosity of New Zealanders. Thank-you to everyone who has contributed so far - individuals, businesses, schools and media have all made a difference. Your generosity really is saving lives and we couldn’t do what we do without your support.”

“As we move from early recovery to longer term rebuild, it’s clear that this level of funding is desperately needed. The number of people affected by the typhoon now stands at almost 15 million, which includes 6.3 million children.

“The recovery effort will be long-term but, over the past month, UNICEF and partners have turned donations into real action on the ground and good progress has already been made. This includes reconnecting water supplies, delivering ‘school-in-a-box’ kits and the vaccination of over 10,000 children against polio and measles. These encouraging steps are helping to renew hope for those that have been through so much.”

In 2014 UNICEF will continue to focus activity in the areas of health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education and child protection. In order to do this, it has deployed an additional 90 staff to the Philippines which includes Kiwi Angela Kearney, who is heading up UNICEF’s emergency response. Of these additional staff, more than 80 are on the ground in typhoon-affected areas including Tacloban, Guiuan, Cebu and Roxas City.

Mr McKinlay added “As we move towards 2014, those affected by Typhoon Haiyan will continue to need our help. The next phase of immunisations for affected children is due to take place, we’ll try and get as many kids as possible back to school to restore a sense of normality, we’ll continue to screen children to prevent malnutrition… and so much more.”

“This ongoing work will only be possible with further donations. While the response so far has been phenomenal, we encourage New Zealanders to continue making donations where they can so we can continue our life-saving work. We look forward to reporting back to donors regularly so they can see the real progress being made as a result of their contributions.”

New Zealanders can donate at: www.unicef.org.nz/philippines

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