UNFPA partners with Red Cross to address health needs in emergencies
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Observer Reporter
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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| Shelia McDonald-Miller (right), UNFPA operations manager, looks at some of the items handed over to the Jamaica Red Cross on Monday. At the presentation are (from left) Lois Hue, deputy director general, Jamaica Red Cross; Oswald Burchenson, president of Jamaica Red Cross; and Harold Robinson, UNFPA representative. |
THE United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Jamaica Red Cross have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will see both organisations collaborating to respond to the health needs of the population in emergency situations.
Under the agreement, which came into effect on July 19 and expires on December 31, 2006, UNFPA will provide the Red Cross with $982,500 for the procurement and preparation of a total of 750 hygiene kits. Two hundred and fifty of these kits will fill a previously unmet need identified by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) for persons displaced by Hurricanes Dennis and Emily, while the remaining five hundred will form part of a pre-positioned supply.
Harold Robinson, UNFPA representative for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, on Monday officially handed over the first set of 250 kits to Oswald Burchenson, president of the Jamaica Red Cross.
As part of the agreement, the pre-positioned supplies will be stored at the Jamaica Red Cross warehouse. This means that Jamaica will become a hub for the UNFPA's emergency response and assistance, enabling the agency to respond quickly in the event of an emergency/natural disaster in any of the countries covered by its Kingston office.
Deputy director general of the Jamaica Red Cross, Lois Hue, was upbeat about partnering with the UNFPA.
"This agreement is extremely relevant at this time," she said. ".It will allow us to address an area that is usually overlooked by relief agencies in responding to disasters," she added.
The hygiene kits, which bear the logo of both organisations, include towels, wash cloths, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, razors and other items.
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