Priorities for UNICEF in Madagascar 900,000 children back to school

Priorities for UNICEF in Madagascar



900,000 children back to school

Thursday February 2, 2012



Steven Lauwerier, resident representative of UNICEF.

"We will continue our efforts and commitments for the development of children in Madagascar." To do this, we must still address many challenges. "Our priorities for the next years are education and health, among others, bring closer to 900,000 children in school, strengthen for routine for children, strengthen the nutrition of children, the maternal health, increase investment in adequate water and sanitation infrastructure, strengthen the protection of children against abuse, violence and operations, improve the participation and expression of youth"; These are the words of the new resident representative of UNICEF, Steven Lauwerier, this Wednesday, February 1, when he submitted figurées copies of letters of cabinet to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierrot Rajaonarivelo.



Steven Lauwerier arrived in Madagascar in early January, 2012, in a context where the political crisis that rocked the country for three years is not yet complete. The impact of this crisis on children in Madagascar are considerable, and are undermining progress in health, education, water and sanitation: 72 out of 1,000 children die before reaching their fifth birthday; one child in two child has growth retardation due to chronic malnutrition; children have poor access to drinking water and latrines: a family three uses water from improved sources of water and only one in ten households use latrines and adequate sanitary facilities in the rural areas; many children have left school.



Prior to his position at Madagascar, Steven Lauwerier was Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, where he contributed to the management and coordination of one of the most important programmes of UNICEF. Steven Lauwerier served UNICEF in many countries where the issues of childhood are profound: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Iran, Somalia. Steven Lauwerier began his career in the United Nations as a volunteer with the World Food Programme (WFP), in the context of humanitarian emergencies characterized by drought in the Northwest of the Kenya. He also worked for the world Organization of the Kenya health, CARE International in South Sudan, and for doctors without borders in Angola, Rwanda and Kosovo/Serbia.



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