(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-13 16:51

NAIROBI - The UN children's fund is appealing for 856 million US dollars to assist children and women who are victims of war and natural catastrophes in 39 countries.

UNICEF's new Humanitarian Action report received here Wednesday paints a picture of countries affected by severe political crisis, such as Chad and Kenya, as well as the emergencies that afflict so-called forgotten countries.

UNICEF said the funds will be used to provide urgent assistance in health, education and nutrition.  

In Kenya, some 150,000 children are among the 300,000 people who were forced from their homes, while in Chad, an estimated 30,000 of the 52,000 who have been driven from the country are vulnerable and urgently need help.

The UN agency reports children make up about one half of the 300,000 people that were forced to flee their homes in Kenya following post-election violence.

They currently are living in camps and UNICEF estimates 80,000 of these children are under age five. It says they are particularly vulnerable and in urgent need of assistance in health, education and nutrition.

The UN agency said all parts of the world are affected by natural disasters and conflict. But UNICEF said sub-Saharan Africa is hardest hit.

"In both these conflicts, and in the 37 other crises described in this report, children and women continue to bear the brunt of conflict and displacement," UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde Johnson said in a statement.

UNICEF is requesting 150 million dollars to carry out its humanitarian operations in Sudan especially the strife-torn Darfur region, home to 2.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The report notes that many of these same problems afflict the tens of thousands of refugees that have fled Darfur to neighboring Chad.

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