Emergency kit for children launched

Unicef has unveiled a special kit to help youngsters living in disaster zones, just a month after it was involved in various events on the Day of the African Child.

The day is celebrated each June 16th and is used to highlight various issues affecting children living on the continent.

This year, Unicef focused on improving the rate of child survival in Africa, although at the same time highlighting the "impressive gains" made in some countries.

Meanwhile, the new emergency kit contains a number of materials aimed at ensuring children's development continues, despite the ravages that may be taking place around them.

Unicef executive director, Ann M Veneman, commented: "The Early Childhood Development Kit is a tool for young children displaced or affected by war and natural disasters.

"It is the first of its kind within the humanitarian community."

The kit contains materials such as colouring pencils and memory games, all intended to encourage development and social interaction.

Tests on the scheme have already taken place in a number of African countries, including Chad and Liberia, as well as other states throughout the world.

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