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Prensa
Latina |
UNICEF Director on Haitian Children's Needs
by Prensa Latina
Posted: Jan 9, 2008 15:26 UTC
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UNITED NATIONS (PL) - UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneran noted the many needs of Haitian people, especially children, at the end of a three-day visit to that Caribbean country.
Veneran, who paid her first visit to Haiti since she took office as head of the United Nations Children's Fund, noted that only 50 percent of children of primary school age attend classes, and 40 percent are not vaccinated.
She pointed out that there are problems regarding children's protection from sexual violence and illegal traffic, among many others.
The UNICEF official said Haitian children need health care, education and protection, three areas in which UNICEF is working to change the life of that sector of the population.
The UN official visited UNICEF-backed programs, including one for street children, more than 375 of whom receive food, medical care and education, and the Choscal Hospital, which treats 3,000 undernourished children every month.
Veneran also learned about programs for HIV/AIDS children and women, a complex problem in Haiti, where nearly 500,000 youths under 18 have lost at least one of their parents to the disease.
Summarizing her visit, Veneran noted that Haiti is such a poor country that "it is hard to believe that it is just three hours away by plane from New York."
hr/jg/ir
PL-2
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