UNICEF Receives GBP2m Through UK Voluntary Donations as it Steps up Efforts to Safeguard Children and Expand Water Distribution in Haiti

LONDON, January 22 - UNICEF and its partners in Haiti have started tracing and registering
children who are separated or unaccompanied to protect them from
exploitation.

"We are aiming to have all children under the age of five in a safe place
and properly fed by this weekend," says UNICEF spokesman Michael Newsome.

"We have child protection teams visiting orphanages in Port-au-Prince and
registering displaced children. Police child brigades are working throughout
the city, at the airport and at the border with the Dominican Republic to
prevent unauthorised departure of minors," he adds.

UNICEF, which leads on water and sanitation in this emergency, has also
expanded water distribution.

"UNICEF and our partners are now supplying 755,000 litres per day to
151,000 people. This does not include existing bottled water distribution to
institutions and communities which include 7,000 bottles of water to three
hospitals, two orphan centres and a police station benefiting 2,000 people,"
says Newsome.

The Water and Sanitation Team is anlaysing new water sources and
logistics capacities to improve coverage.

UNICEF is also concerned about sanitation which if left unchecked can
lead to an outbreak of disease. It has set up banks of latrines at four sites
and has applied to the Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive for
permission to build more latrines in areas which are densely populated.
Together with DINEPA, the national water company in the Petionville
municipality, UNICEF has prioritised 14 areas which have a total population
of 49,500.

UNICEF's emergency work in Haiti is funded entirely by voluntary
donations as the agency receives no money from the UN budget. In the UK, it
does not receive money either from the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC)
whose money is distributed to 13 other charities.

"Through generous voluntary contributions by members of the public and
corporations in the UK we have received so far GBP2 million with another GBP2
million in pledges to be fulfilled. The majority of the donations in the
first 72 hours were made online for the first time.

"UNICEF has the benefit of a large supply division, based in Copenhagen,
which purchases humanitarian supplies from around the world and ship to
Haiti. They have already purchased water supplies and water purification
tablets from British suppliers and has commissioned a company in the
Dominican Republic to produce Plumpy'Nut, a high protein paste that can save
the lives of malnourished children," Newsome adds.

Five UNICEF plane-loads of supplies have arrived to date and another five
flights are on the way carrying tents, water, sanitation, health and
nutrition supplies.

UNICEF relies solely on voluntary donations. An appeal fund has been
launched and donations can be made through www.unicef.org.uk or by
telephoning 0800 316 5353.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

UNICEF personnel in Haiti are available for interview.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is the world's leading organisation working for children and their
rights in more than 190 countries. As champion of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works to help every child
realise their full potential. Together with our partners, UNICEF delivers
health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need,
while working with governments to ensure they deliver on their promise to
protect and promote the rights of every child. UNICEF relies entirely on
voluntary donations from individuals, governments, institutions and
corporations, and is not funded by the UN budget. For more information,
please visit www.unicef.org.uk.

For more information, please contact: Terry Ally, Senior Media Officer,
International Programmes and Emergencies, UNICEF UK, Tel: +44(0)20-7375-6014,
24-hour Press Line: +44(0)20-7336-8922

For more information, please contact: Terry Ally, Senior Media Officer, International Programmes and Emergencies, UNICEF UK, Tel: +44(0)20-7375-6014, 24-hour Press Line: +44(0)20-7336-8922