Unicef needs $18 million to help Indonesian infants

JAKARTA (JP): The nutrition section chief of the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef), Roger Shrimpton, says that the international body needs at least US$18 million to protect millions of under-two-year-olds facing malnutrition during the economic crisis in Indonesia.

Shrimpton said that Unicef was so far only able to generate $7 million in donations from Australia and Canada, as quoted by Antara while addressing a fund-raiser held by Dharma Wanita (the association of wives of civil servants) on Wednesday in New York.

"We still need much more to help alleviate the impact of the crisis on children under two-years-old, who are Indonesia's future generation," Shrimpton said.

He also said that his office has been working together with the government and some non-governmental organizations for the cause. Among Unicef's activities are providing supplementary meals to children between 6 and 24 months of age through local integrated health service units in villages.

Unicef is also working to prevent diarrhea, improve sanitation and provided financial assistance for children in danger of dropping out of schools.

Shrimpton, who left Indonesia in 1997 after eight years of service in the country, described how income per capita here has dropped by more than 13 percent since the crisis hit the country in July of last year. Around 80 million people, or 40 percent of the population, are now living in abject poverty, compared to 11 percent in 1996.

With around 20 million productive-age people now unemployed, the number of malnourished children has soared, and around eight million school-age children may have to drop out of school, Shrimpton said.

In a separate report, Antara said that over the past year Unicef has been providing supplementary foods and capital for 600 street children in seven regencies in West Nusa Tenggara. The regencies are West, Central and East Lombok, Sumbawa, Dompu, Bima and Mataram.

The money was used by the children to start businesses, including shoe-shine businesses.

It was also reported from Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara that a total of 4,749 babies in the city were now suffering from malnutrition. Agustinus Fernandez, from the non-governmental agency Caritas Working Group, said that those who were affected the most in the Alok subdistrict were the urban poor.

In a related development, AFP reported that for security reasons, Unicef Executive Director Carol Bellamy has canceled a planned trip to Indonesia following the recent violence that left at least 15 people dead.

Her arrival and scheduled meeting with Indonesian President B.J. Habibie had been scheduled for Monday, an Indonesia staff member of Unicef, Daradjat Natanagara, said.

Bellamy had been expected to arrive from Thailand, where she attended a ministerial conference on child development, the report said. (swe/yac)