Nepal Earthquake Update: UNICEF reported on health and well-being of children affected by the earthquake in Nepal one week after the disaster. The April 25 earthquake in Nepal flattened more than 130,000 homes and left three million people in need of food assistance. Some 24,000 people are currently staying in 13 camps in Kathmandu.

"The earthquake has caused unimaginable destruction," said Rownak Khan, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nepal. "Hospitals are overflowing, water is scarce, bodies are still buried under the rubble and people are still sleeping in the open. This is a perfect breeding ground for diseases."

UNICEF warned that children have been left homeless, in deep shock and with no access to basic care. Children will be at heightened risk of diseases like cholera and diarrhoeal infections, as well as being more vulnerable to the threat of landslides and floods.

At least 15,000 children with severe acute malnutrition require therapeutic feeding. There is also an urgent need for children in the 12 most affected districts to get back to their normal routine by setting up child-friendly spaces, opening schools and providing access to basic services, such as health and water.

In the past week, UNICEF has flown in more than 80 tons of aid, including tents, plastic sheeting, blankets, nutrition supplies, vaccinations and other life-saving medicines; Set up child friendly spaces in informal camps, to offer support to help children recover from their experiences, as well as a safe place where they can play and learn; Delivered aid to remote areas outside the Kathmandu valley - including in Kavre and Gorkha districts, where UNICEF teams provided thousands of people with soap, water purification tablets, tarpaulins and buckets. In Dhading district, hygiene and family kits and water purification tablets have been dropped to seven remote villages using helicopters.

"We have a small window of time to put in place measures that will keep earthquake-affected children safe from infectious disease outbreaks - a danger that would be exacerbated by the wet and muddy conditions brought on with the rains," said Khan. "That's why it's so crucial to get essential medicine, medical equipment, tents and water supplies out to these areas now."

UNICEF also warned that the monsoon season is only a few weeks away. In the past week, UNICEF has flown in more than 80 tons of aid, including tents, plastic sheeting, blankets, nutrition supplies, vaccinations and other life-saving medicines; Set up child friendly spaces in informal camps, to offer support to help children recover from their experiences, as well as a safe place where they can play and learn; Delivered aid to remote areas outside the Kathmandu valley - including in Kavre and Gorkha districts, where UNICEF teams provided thousands of people with soap, water purification tablets, tarpaulins and buckets. In Dhading district, hygiene and family kits and water purification tablets have been dropped to seven remote villages using helicopters.

"As days become a week, we must focus our attention on continuing to save the lives of the children in Nepal who survived this devastating earthquake. Many of them, along with their families, are scared to go home for fear of their homes collapsing. So they are living outside where the threat of water-borne disease is heightened," said David Morley, UNICEF Canada President and CEO. "The outpouring of support from Canadians has been critical in helping UNICEF to reach the most vulnerable children and we encourage Canadians to continue donating in the days to come so we can continue this life-saving work."

In a country where more than 40 per cent of children are stunted, fears for children's nutrition are rising. 

UNICEF provided aid, including tents to serve as emergency clinics at hospitals, tarpaulin for shelter, water trucking services in informal camps, water purification tablets and hygiene kits.

UNICEF is broadening its response so that children in the most severely affected communities, including those in hard-to-reach areas beyond Kathmandu, are provided with lifesaving services and supplies.

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. It is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. UNICEIF iss active in over 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. For more information about UNICEF, go to their website.