Unicef needs $18 million to help Indonesian infants

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)