Andhra Pradesh Floods- AID sought

Aid sought for 7.5 lakh children affected by floods

HYDERABAD: About 7.5 lakh children are affected by floods across the State, specially in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Krishna and Guntur districts and an estimated Rs. 3.14 crore is required to get them access to medicare so that an outbreak of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases can be checked.

In a press release, the international voluntary agency Save the Children has appealed to the people from all sections of society to rise to the occasion and contribute their mite to mobilise this amount.

Save the Children CEO Thomas Chandy said 13 per cent of children under 5 years of age were already acutely malnourished.

“The current level of acute malnutrition in Andhra Pradesh is already just below the global emergency trigger threshold. With so many children denied access to clean water and sanitation, they are especially at a greater risk of water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, one of the biggest killers of children in India,” he added.

A donation of Rs. 1,000 would ensure that a family of six got a set of kitchen utensils, including a stove and fuel, pots and pans for cooking as well as plates and glasses. A contribution of Rs. 10,000 would help a relief camp with space for children separated from their parents, to be safe, with a meal a day till they are reconnected with their family, the release said. Those willing to donate may contact Save the Children through mobile sms SAVE AP to 55050 or over the website ‘ www.savethechildren.in’.