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afrol News, 23 April - The UN children's agency, UNICEF, announced today that it has resumed assistance to schools and health activities in the Makeni area of Sierra Leone. On Thursday, a UNICEF team headed by Country Representative JoAnna Van Gerpen distributed schools supplies and textbooks to approximately 1,000 students attending school in Makeni. UNICEF also supplied essential drugs, vaccines and equipment for the revitalisation of 5 health clinics serving 10-12,000 people in the Makeni area (Bombali District), Sierra Leone. Training for well-owners on well chlorination to prevent outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease will also be organised. UNICEF's partners, CARITAS Makeni, People's Education Association and the District Health Team headed by Dr. M. Dumbuya, also participated in the mission to provide technical advice and to assess training needs for staff and other support requirements in the schools and health facilities. This assistance is a follow-up to an assessment mission to Makeni in late March during which UNICEF found schools overflowing with children, but without teaching and learning materials. Health staffs were identified in Makeni who were not working due to lack of medical supplies. In reporting on the mission, Ms. Van Gerpen noted that, "The successful implementation of the polio vaccination campaign in February and March in Makeni, co-sponsored by MoHS, WHO, Rotary and UNICEF, was a great confidence building measure for both sides. UNICEF found that a foundation had been laid for further co-operation. Until recently, children have been completely cut off from access to basic health services such as immunisation. This is particularly distressing because Sierra Leone is estimated to have the highest child mortality rate in the world, the UN agency today stated. On the positive side, UNICEF reported it was encouraging to see that despite very difficult circumstances, parents and teachers found a way to keep some schools going. The distribution this week was a first step. We are starting, "small, small", but we hope to expand our support to education and health facilities in the Makeni area in the near future," said Van Gerpen. Sources: Based on UNICEF
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