
The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) on Friday appealed for 45.5 million U.S. dollars to support water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs in South Sudan in 2021.
UNICEF said that it plans to allocate 3.85 million dollars for WASH in school interventions to support children at risk of contracting water-borne diseases like acute watery diarrhea which is one of the lead causes of child mortality in South Sudan.
“When you deny someone their right to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, you are also denying them the right to health, a life, protection and dignity,” Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF South Sudan Representative said in a statement.
UNICEF said that in the past years, it provided a minimum level of WASH services to the most vulnerable populations in South Sudan and also responded to the most immediate humanitarian needs, including the floods affecting over one million people in 2020.
UNICEF said the provision of WASH services in schools is a very critical strategy to increase coverage while targeting children.