The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) launched a $113.7 million appeal to meet the needs of women and girls affected by drought.
The UNFPA Executive Director Dr Natalia Kanem disclosed this at the launching event.
The unprecedented drought in the Horn of Africa is affecting whole communities, but it is women and girls who are paying “an unacceptably high price,” she said.
“The funding will be used to scale-up life-saving reproductive health and protection services, including the establishment of mobile and static clinics in locations such as displacement sites.
“Overall, more than 36 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya require humanitarian assistance because of the drought.
“As the food security situation continues to deteriorate, women and girls are facing hunger and other serious threats to their health, rights and safety.”
“We need to act now to save thousands of lives and provide women and girls with the essential support they urgently need and a chance at building a better future,” she stressed.
According to her, in addition to setting up mobile and stationary health clinics, UNFPA will deploy trained midwives to those facilities located in areas where needs are greatest.
Other plans include increasing community outreach for the provision of reproductive health services, as well as strengthening referral systems to ensure pregnant women experiencing complications can access emergency obstetric care.
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