01/2006 This Newsletter is provided to inform our partners and the public about UNICEF’s work in Myanmar, and some of the issues UNICEF focuses on globally as well as locally. This issue focuses on UNICEF’s work in Rakhine State.

UNICEF in Myanmar – Working for Children in Rakhine

akhine is one of RMyanmar’s poorest and most isolated States, and its children face a particularly daunting set of challenges in realizing their right to good health, education and development.

UNICEF has been providing support to the children of Rakhine State since 1951, sponsoring activities to save children’s lives and enhance their development. UNICEF currently supports a series of programs that help protect Rakhine’s children against disease and malnutrition, provide them with clean water and a better education, and advance their development. With a number of humanitarian and development agencies working in northern Rakhine State, along the border with Bangladesh, UNICEF has focused many of its interventions in other particularly deprived areas of the State.

In this issue:

Promoting Health and Nutrition

Protecting Children from Exploitation, Abuse and Neglect

Expanding Access to Clean Water and Sanitation

Providing Families with Information to Improve Children’s Lives

Providing Emergency Support for Natural Disasters

Helping Children Go to School and Receive a Better Quality Education Promoting Health and Nutrition

NICEF implements a range of health and iodized salt coverage, and help ensure that local salt U nutrition activities in Rakhine. As in other States producers have the resources and knowledge they and Divisions, UNICEF supports the immunization of need to meet iodization standards. children against preventable diseases, the provision Contending with Challenges of vitamin A to protect children from blindness and strengthen their immune systems, and the provision While progress is being made in providing more of of iron supplements and deworming medication to Rakhine’s children with basic health care and nutrition mitigate the effects of malnutrition. UNICEF supports services, many children living in hard-to-reach areas malaria prevention activities in seven highly affected remain beyond the reach of routine health and townships in Rakhine, and has extended its distribution immunization services. To help reach the most of antibiotics, oral rehydration salts, paracetamol and vulnerable children, UNICEF supports special other essential drugs to every township within the immunization outreach programs in these hard-to- State. reach areas three to four times a year. UNICEF also continues to support regular polio and measles Protecting Children from Mental campaigns. Notwithstanding these efforts, many Impairment through Salt Iodization children in Rakhine remain in need of more efficient, routine healthcare services closer to their villages. One area where significant headway has been made in Rakhine – but where the need for support continues – is in providing families with iodized salt, which protects children from mental impairment. Iodine deficiency is the world’s leading cause of preventable mental impairment. During pregnancy it can cause babies to develop physical disabilities, and after birth it can appreciably hinder children’s mental development. Fortunately, iodine deficiency disorder is easily preventable through the regular use of iodized salt.

Every year UNICEF in Myanmar provides 50% of the potassium iodate needed to iodize salt supplies nationwide. UNICEF also supports technical staff who monitor salt quality, and provides technical assistance to producers. As a result of these efforts, certain parts of Rakhine State have seen a dramatic increase in the availability of iodized salt in recent years. In Ponnagyun Township, for example, the consumption rate has risen from 9% to 78% in less than four years.

Nevertheless, Rakhine still has one of the lowest coverage rates in the country, which is why UNICEF continues working with partners to extend

2 UNICEF in Myanmar - Working for Children in Rakhine UNICEF supports the following activities for children throughout Myanmar, including children in Rakhine State:

Immunization against six vaccine- preventible childhood diseases Vitamin A distribution

Salt iodization Ponnagyun Sanitation and hygiene promotion Pauktaw Child rights training Myebon

The map on the right highlights townships in Rakhine State where UNICEF also supports an integrated package of assistance for children, including: Distribution of essential drugs Activities to prevent malaria Taunggup Provision of iron tablets for pregnant women Provision of micro-nutrient supplements for Thandwe children Development of child-friendly schools Training on HIV/AIDS prevention and other life skills Support for early childhood development programs Gwa Programs on parenting education Provision of water supply and sanitation systems Support for birth registration

Protecting Children from Exploitation, in place to address the needs of working children, Abuse and Neglect displaced and separated children, and children facing the risk of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation.

While the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is in charge of providing certain types of assistance for these children, a lack of financial and human resources results in the limited provision of basic social services. Some private charities in Rakhine do provide support to vulnerable children, but the reach of their activities is limited, and the quality of service varies.

For its part, UNICEF works to strengthen the skills of technical staff and social work caregivers to provide more effective protective services, and to promote alternative family environments for orphaned children. Many children in Rakhine need protective services UNICEF works with many partners to prevent trafficking, protect vulnerable children, support the reintegration he difficult socio-economic situation confronting of trafficked children, and raise awareness about child Tmany families in Rakhine can place children at rights principles. UNICEF also works with partners and heightened risk of exploitation, abuse and neglect. communities to develop networks that can help provide There is currently no adequate child protection system children with protection from exploitation and abuse.

UNICEF in Myanmar - Working for Children in Rakhine 3 Expanding Access to Clean Water and Sanitation

UNICEF is addressing these challenges head-on, extending clean water, environmental sanitation and hygiene services to disadvantaged communities in Rakhine to protect children’s health. UNICEF has supported the construction of clean water supply systems in 77 schools and 35 communities in Rakhine State, contributing to broader efforts that have increased the proportion of schools providing safe water to their students from 6% to 52% in three years. UNICEF also supports the construction of separate sanitation and hygiene facilities for boys and girls, as well as community-level activities that help families appreciate the benefits of drinking safe water, constructing latrines, hygienic food preparation and good personal hygiene A UNICEF handpump in Myauk-U practices.

akhine State has one of the lowest safe drinking Despite the efforts of UNICEF and its partners in Rwater and sanitation coverage rates in Myanmar. Rakhine, the total number of schools, health centers For generations, communities have favored the use of and communities without access to safe water and ponds as a source of drinking water, which creates adequate sanitary facilities remains high; additional additional challenges for those working to introduce investments are needed to extend coverage to more cleaner, safer water and sanitation systems. communities in need.

In Ponnagyun, UNICEF and the municipality joined together to construct a clean water system that carries water from this large reservoir located more than six miles away from town, and now more than 12,000 people are drinking safe, clean water every day.

Providing Families with Information to Improve Children’s Lives

n Rakhine and other parts of Myanmar, Ilimited information channels and existing media regulations can hinder families’ access to important information they need about beneficial childcare practices. Through its ‘Facts For Life’ program, UNICEF works with faith- based organizations to help parents in Rakhine learn about health-enhancing interventions such as breastfeeding, immunization, malaria prevention, hygiene and HIV/AIDS. UNICEF also works through various media channels to provide the public with information about practices that can improve the wellbeing of A UNICEF-supported “Facts For Life” training run by Karuna Social Services in Than Dwe Township, Rakhine State. children and youth.

4 UNICEF in Myanmar - Working for Children in Rakhine Providing Emergency Support for Natural Disasters

UNICEF’s global mandate has always involved responding to the needs of children in the midst of conflict and natural disasters. When emergencies strike, UNICEF works to provide children and their families with a range of essential, life-saving assistance. By working in cooperation with regular program partners, NGOs, civil society organizations and communities themselves, UNICEF is able to deliver essential aid in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, as well as longer-term assistance to help communities get back on their feet.

Following the 2004 cyclone, UNICEF provided essential drugs kits and medical equipment to disaster-affected areas, including drugs to combat cholera and malaria, A primary school destroyed in the cyclone - and subsequently and 3,000 roofing sheets and latrine slabs to support the rehabilitated with UNICEF assistance. emergency rehabilitation of health centers and schools.

akhine has traditionally been vulnerable to a range UNICEF’s response to the tsunami was even more Rof natural disasters, including typhoons and floods. comprehensive. In addition to providing seven tsunami- In May 2004, the worst cyclone in a generation pounded affected townships with essential drugs and other medical Rakhine’s coast with 100 mile-per-hour winds and severe supplies, UNICEF provided 25,000 families living in five flooding. The December tsunami disaster had a profound coastal townships in Rakhine with insecticide-treated impact in certain coastal areas of the State as well. mosquito nets to help prevent the spread of malaria. UNICEF also helped more than 30,000 primary school Many families in Rakhine lost their homes, livestock, and students in Rakhine return to school by providing them food reserves to natural disasters over the past year, with textbooks and school supplies. Moreover, UNICEF is and many more families found their livelihoods supporting the construction and rehabilitation of threatened. Hospitals, health centers and schools were community water systems, and providing additional also damaged in these disasters, affecting the provision malarial drugs and test kits for rural health centers in of basic social services. Rakhine.

UNICEF Assistance in Northern Rakhine State

orthern Rakhine State is a specific zone encompassing the Nthree townships of Butthidaung, Maungdaw and Ratthedaung. This heavily-populated area has a large proportion of Muslim families, most ethnic Bengalis. The international community launched specific operations in Northern Rakhine in 1991 to support returnees from Bangladesh. Still, today, more than elsewhere in Myanmar, accessibility constraints are hampering families’ access to basic services. Through its office in Rakhine’s capitol city of Sittwe, UNICEF supports local efforts to strengthen immunization services and the provision of essential drugs. Through its ‘Facts For Life’ program, UNICEF also helps educate families about measures they can adopt that help save children’s lives and enhance their wellbeing. Over the next five years, UNICEF will be expanding its support for a broader range of social services in Rakhine, through reinforced partnerships with local and international development partners.

UNICEF in Myanmar - Working for Children in Rakhine 5 Helping Children Go to School and Receive a Better Quality Education

NICEF supports a number of activities in Rakhine working hours, when these young people can take time Uthat help children receive a better quality primary to absorb the lesson for the day. education. UNICEF helps disadvantaged children attend In addition to helping young people acquire knowledge, school by defraying some of their educational costs EXCEL provides them with moral support and substantive through the provision of text books and school supplies. opportunities to contribute to their community, which UNICEF also supports Parent-Teacher Associations, and helps them develop a greater sense of self-worth. provides material support to help impoverished Perhaps the most important aspect of EXCEL is placing communities maintain school facilities. Through the ‘Child at-risk youth in touch with positive young role models. Friendly Schools’ program, UNICEF helps introduce Volunteer educators are the driving force to the program. educators to child-centered teaching methods that can Most volunteers are in their late teens, and call their help children learn more, in an environment that is more young students ‘brother’ and ‘sister’, fostering a sense engaging than traditional classrooms. UNICEF and its of family. Through their dedicated work, EXCEL partners have helped integrate ‘life skills’ training into volunteers are helping change their communities for the the standard curriculum in Myanmar’s primary and better – one child at a time. secondary schools, ensuring that HIV/AIDS prevention is being taught throughout Rakhine and the rest of the country. Helping Heroes Shine Despite this progress, language barriers, school “I do it for the children of my village.” accessibility problems, teacher shortages and financial constraints continue to impede many children’s ability to receive a quality basic education.

Helping Rakhine’s Children Excel In many remote areas within Rakhine, numerous children drop out of school and begin working at a very early age, encountering conditions that render them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and other threats to their wellbeing. Youth in Rakhine and other parts of Myanmar are also increasingly bearing the brunt of the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

To help young people contend with such challenges, UNICEF has introduced an innovative education program targeting vulnerable, out-of-school youth: Extended and Continuous Education and Learning (EXCEL). EXCEL helps out-of-school children and youth develop analytical Ma Tin Moe Khine could be spending time with her thinking and problem-solving skills that can enable them friends, or putting in a couple of extra hours at to more effectively cope with the threats of exploitation, work to earn additional income. Instead, she abuse, HIV/AIDS and other perils. volunteers her time to work with disadvantaged, out-of-school children in her village, teaching them Since many out-of-school children find it necessary to about good health and nutrition practices, HIV/ work to help keep their impoverished households afloat, AIDS prevention, and helping them develop positive coping skills that hold the key to their EXCEL volunteers work around their schedules. Classes future advancement. are normally held in the afternoon, during off-peak

Further details about UNICEF’s program in Myanmar can be obtained from:

Ms. Carroll C. Long Ms. Elke Wisch Mr. Jason Rush UNICEF Representative Sr. Program Officer Communication Officer Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ph +(95 1) 212-090 and 212-091 Ph +(95 1) 212-090 and 212-091 Ph +(95 1) 212-090 and 212-091