NEW UNICEF KIT HELPS YOUNG CHILDREN CAUGHT UP IN WAR, DISASTERS

A new United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) kit – the first of its kind in the humanitarian community – seeks to help young children who have been uprooted from their homes or affected by war and natural disasters regain a sense of normalcy.

Launched by UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman in Geneva today, each Early Childhood Development Kit, which costs $230, can be used by some 50 children up to six years of age.

They contain 37 items – including dominos, colouring pencils, construction blocks, hand puppets and memory games – that encourage playing, drawing, story-telling and numeracy.

According to an agency press release, early childhood is the most critical period for brain development, with young children especially vulnerable to the stresses of war and disasters, such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

The kit was created after UNICEF staff and partner organizations responding to emergencies identified a need for special materials to help young children.

Before its launch today, the kit was tested in seven countries – Chad, Liberia, the Republic of Congo, Jamaica, Guyana, Maldives and Iraq.

The new kit complements UNICEF's "school-in-a-box," of which 600,000 have been distributed during emergencies to date.
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