UNICEF: We need $835m to help Syrians in their Crisis

Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that UNICEF needs USD 835 million this year to help those affected by the Syrian crisis, noting that the organisation last year received USD 470 million. In an exclusive interview given to the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA, Calivis said, "About three million people in Syria and 350,000 others outside of it have benefited from the projects provided by the Kuwaiti grant to the organization (USD 55 million). It helped in providing vaccinations against measles, rubella, mumps and polio for 1.1 million children in Syria and 685,000 others outside of it during last March and June." With regard to education, she said, "With Kuwait's financial aid, we were able to purchase 1.1 million school bags for the children as we provided some of the needs of the refugee camps such as teachers' salaries, tents and school supplies. "The Syrian crisis is not similar to natural disasters, because their outcome can be repaired in a short period of time, but the aftermath of wars includes violence, instability and difficult problems that require a long time to be solved," she noted. On UNICEF's cooperation with other organisations, she indicated that it deals with 37 civil society organisations, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local authorities, in addition to 18 civil society organisations, partners and contractors inside and outside of Syria. The UN official stressed UNICEF's commitment to the highest standards of transparency regarding the use of aid provided, especially in view of the fact that it is a voluntary organisation working through grants, which are subjected to annual audits published on the website, as well as a separate monitoring system that follows up with the aid delivery.