Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 463 million children, a third of the world’s schoolchildren, are unable to access remote learning after COVID-19 shuttered their schools, according to a new UNICEF report released on Thursday as countries wrestle with their ‘back-to-school’ plans. At the height of nationwide and local lockdowns, nearly 1.5 billion schoolchildren were affected …
Read More »African countries urged to promote a safe return to school
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT School closures implemented to protect students from COVID-19 are hurting them in other ways, while the long-term impact of this disruption to education could create a lost generation in Africa, two UN agencies have said. The World Health Organization (WHO) and (UNICEF) urged governments on the …
Read More »WHO urges safe reopening of schools in Africa amid COVID-19 risks
Nairobi, Kenya | XINHUA | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged African countries to put solid COVID-19 prevention measures in place before embarking on reopening of learning institutions. WHO said in a statement released in Nairobi that reopening of schools in the Sub-Saharan African region should be accompanied by …
Read More »Children have “nowhere to turn” as COVID-19 hits protection, social services, says UNICEF
United Nations | XINHUA | Disruptions to services for preventing and responding to violence in the home, due to the global pandemic, has left children in more than 100 countries vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. The UN agency’s “Socio-economic Impact Survey …
Read More »More children likely to suffer from malnutrition
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More children under the age of five are likely to suffer from wasting and become dangerously undernourished. Wasting is a life-threatening form of malnutrition which makes children too thin and weak and puts them at greater risk of dying poor due to growth, development, …
Read More »Lead poisoning affects nearly 800 mln children globally: UN study
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale, up to 800 million globally, said a study released on Thursday by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Pure Earth. “With few early symptoms, lead silently wreaks havoc on children’s health and development, …
Read More »Health Ministry receives 35 vehicles to boost immunization services
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Health Ministry has received 35 vehicles to boost the uptake of immunization services in the country. According to the Health Ministry, immunization services had dropped by 65 percent due to the failure of parents to take their children for immunization. Also, with the …
Read More »UNICEF chief says COVID-19 worsens global childcare crisis
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The COVID-19 “pandemic is making a global childcare crisis even worse,” Henrietta Fore, head of the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), warned Tuesday. Fore’s remark came after the release of a UN study that shows at least 40 million children have missed out on …
Read More »UNICEF renews commitment to combat child marriage in South Sudan
Juba, South Sudan | XINHAU | The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) said Thursday it has entered into partnership with 35 local radio stations in South Sudan as part of efforts to combat rampant child marriage in the country. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF representative in South Sudan said the radio stations …
Read More »UNICEF provides anti-COVID-19 medical supplies to South Sudan
Juba, South Sudan | XINHUA | The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday delivered medical supplies worth 651 million South Sudanese pounds (about 5 million U.S. dollars) to South Sudan to help the east African country tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF representative in South Sudan said anti-COVID-19 …
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