UN faces problems to access troubled areas

ISLAMABAD- The United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Friday said that the humanitarian community continues to face difficulties to have regular and sustained access to conflict affected and hosting areas.
About 2,000 IDP families will need to be relocated as the provincial authorities decided to close the camp in Kacha Garhi. Due to military operations in Orakzai Agency, around 500 families are reported to have fled to the neighbouring district of Hangu.
According to a fact sheet of UN Pakistan, all together 548 schools have been destroyed or partially damaged during the conflict. Out of this number, 137 schools were affected in FATA and 411 in Malakand Division. Among those destroyed are 147 girls’ schools.
A “Welcome to School” initiative will be launched in Swat, Buner, Lower Dir and Malakand, and aims to benefit 532,000 children, providing temporary learning spaces, educational supplies and teacher training. As an initial response, UNICEF has dispatched 100 school tents to Swat and Buner, so that children whose schools have been damaged or destroyed don’t miss out on education.
In the host communities where Internally Displaced People (IDPs) took refuge, more than 4,830 schools were converted to shelters.
These schools must be repaired and rehabilitated to provide adequate and healthy environments for damaged schools that previously housed IDP families in the hosting districts of NWFP. UNICEF has prioritized the repair and rehabilitation of 3,565 primary schools.
More than 1,000 schools have been rehabilitated to date, and work is currently underway on over 900 schools.
An estimated 543,000 children are in the camps and 8,000 IDP children are still supported by UNICEF in continuing their education. Fifteen host community schools are also supported.