‘UNICEF has only $32m of $179m it needs for children in Jordan’

SUKHNEH — UNICEF has received only $32 million of the $179 million it requires to meet the needs of children in Jordan, an agency official said on Wednesday. 

Lucio Melandri, UNICEF humanitarian affairs specialist, said the UN agency also needs $814 million for its services in the region, $250 million of which are for Syria. 

“Around 14 million children have been affected by the Syrian conflict in general and around 345,000 registered Syrian refugee children are currently in Jordan,” he told reporters. 

Melandri noted that UNICEF’s initial estimation when the conflict first flared in Syria was that it had to support half-a-million refugees, but now the number is much higher. 

“Without the generosity and support of the Jordanian government we would not be able to support the children,” he noted.   

Melandri said though the conflict has had a negative impact on Syrian refugees, it also affected Jordan’s economy and infrastructure. 

“It is the worst humanitarian conflict after the [last] world war. Eight thousand children crossed the borders without their family in the region and around 700 children crossed the border to Jordan without their families,” he added.