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SearchClose Search UNICEF Fulltext search Max Available in: English русский Українська 5 results Fulltext search Best matchNewestOldest From this site From all UNICEF sites Max (-) Article (3) Blog post (1) (-) Press release (2) Programme (1) Armed conflict (3) Child protection (1) Child rights (1) COVID-19 (2) Education (1) EU (3) Health (4) Humanitarian action and emergencies (1) Humanitarian crisis and response (1) Immunization (5) Migrant and refugee crisis (2) Migration (1) Migration and refugee crisis (1) (-) Refugee and migrant children (4) (-) Refugees (4) (-) Roma children (0) Vaccines (8) Bosnia and Herzegovina (6) (-) Bulgaria (4) ECA (2) ECARO (5) Europe and Central Asia (1) Greece (2) Italy (2) Serbia (4) Spain (1) (-) Ukraine (1) Article 13 May 2021 Safeguarding the health of refugee and migrant children during COVID-19 https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/safeguarding-health-refugee-and-migrant-children-during-covid-19 "When COVID arrived here, I thought: ‘It's over, it will spread throughout the building’. I didn't think it was possible to avoid the spread of the outbreak. Instead, we have had very few cases and we owe this, above all, to the support we received from INTERSOS and UNICEF." Josehaly (Josy), a refugee living in Rome A field worker from Intersos fastens a mask for a young refugee girl in Rome. A field worker from Intersos fastens a mask for a young refugee girl in Rome. The ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative is funding work across five European countries to keep refugee and migrant children connected to health services. While the COVID-19 pandemic was not foreseen when the initiative was first launched, the strategic principles underpinning the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative – flexibility, responsiveness to real needs, and building on what works – meant that UNICEF and partners could swing into action to safeguard the health and wellbeing of refugee and migrant children and overcome intensified and unprecedented challenges. Since the launch of the 27-month ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative in January 2020, activities were adapted quickly to address access to health services during the COVID-19 crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Serbia. This €4.3 million initiative, co-funded by the European Union Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, has shown refugee and migrant children and families how to protect themselves and others, and that they have every right to health care – even in a pandemic. The rapid escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in 2020 exacerbated the already worrying state of health and wellbeing of the region’s most vulnerable people, including refugee and migrant children, and has had a protracted impact on their access to health and other vital services. The situation has been particularly dire for refugees and migrants who are not in formal reception sites, and who are, therefore, harder to reach and monitor. Refugee and migrant families living in over-crowded conditions with limited access to sanitation are at high risk of infection. These communities have often had to face a ‘double lockdown’, confined to their settlements and camps and having little or no access to accurate information on protecting themselves and others. The additional pressures have been severe. UNICEF and its partners in Bulgaria have seen appeals for support double from 30 to 60 cases per day. Far more refugees and asylum-seekers have been in urgent need of financial and material support, having lost their incomes because of the pandemic. There have been increased requests for support to meet the cost of medical care for children, which is not covered by the state budget, and more requests for psychosocial support. This increase in demand has, of course, coincided with serious challenges for service delivery. Restrictions on movement have curtailed in-person services, and partners have had to adapt the way in which they connect with refugees and migrants. The pandemic has had a direct impact on the provision of group sessions to share health-related information, as well as on the timely identification of children and women suffering from or at risk of health-related issues. The impact on vital services for timely and quality maternal and child health care, psychosocial support, recreational and non-formal services, and on services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) has been profound. In Bulgaria, UNICEF and its partners were able to take immediate measures with support from the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative to alleviate the impact, including online awareness raising and information sessions and the use of different channels for communication, including social media. UNICEF’s partners, the Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria (CRWB) and the Mission Wings Foundation (MWF) adapted service delivery to allow both face-to-face interaction (while maintaining social distancing for safety) as well as assistance online and by telephone. Partners were able to continue to provide direct social services support while also delivering online consultations to refugees and migrants on cases of violence, as well as referral to specialized services. In Greece, the initiative supported the development of child-friendly information posters and stickers for refugee and migrant children and their families on critical preventive measures and on what to do and where to go if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms. In Italy, the initiative has supported outreach teams and community mobilization, providing refugee and migrant families with the information and resources they need to keep the pandemic at bay. In Rome, for example, health promoters from Intersos continued to work directly with refugee and migrant communities in informal settlements, not only to prevent infection but also to keep their spirits high, as one health promoter explained: "We have organized housing modules that are not only designed to keep the community safe, but also to stop loneliness overwhelming the people forced into isolation. The entire community has assisted people affected by the virus by cooking, washing clothes and offering all possible support, particularly to the children." UNICEF and its partners in Italy, as in other countries, have aimed to maintain continuity and unimpeded access to key services. Child protection, for example, has been mainstreamed into all project activities, and additional measures have been introduced, with a ramping up of activities to raise awareness and share information. UNICEF partners adapted quickly to the pandemic, with Médecins du Monde (MdM) activating a hotline number to provide remote counselling and psychological first aid (PFA). Centro Penc shifted to remote case management and individual psychological support, strengthening the capacity of cultural mediators to support GBV survivors, with UNICEF’s support. Young people were consulted and engaged through UNICEF’s online platform U-Report on the Move, with young U-reporters sharing information on the increased risks of GBV, as well as on available services. In Serbia, the initiative has supported UNICEF’s efforts to improve the immunization process for refugee children and migrants by strengthening the assessment and monitoring process. As a result of such efforts, refugees and migrants have been included in the national COVID-19 Immunization Plan. Press release 25 March 2022 More than half of Ukraine’s children displaced after one month of war https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/more-half-ukraines-children-displaced-after-one-month-war NEW YORK/GENEVA/KYIV, 24 March 2022 – One month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children – more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population. This includes more than 1.8 million children who have crossed into neighbouring countries as refugees and 2.5 million who are now internally displaced inside Ukraine. “The war has caused one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This is a grim milestone that could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Children’s safety, wellbeing and access to essential services are all under threat from non-stop horrific violence.” According to OHCHR, 78 children have been killed, and 105 have been injured in Ukraine since the start of the war on 24 February. Yet these figures represent only those reports that the UN has been able to confirm, and the true toll is likely far higher. The war has also had devastating consequences on civilian infrastructure and access to basic services. The World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, has reported 52 attacks impacting health care facilities across the country over the last four weeks, while Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science has reported damage to more than 500 education facilities. An estimated 1.4 million people now lack access to safe water, while 4.6 million people have limited access to water or are at risk of being cut off. Over 450,000 children aged 6 to 23 months need complementary food support. UNICEF has already observed a reduction in vaccination coverage for routine and childhood immunizations, including measles and polio. This could quickly lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, especially in overcrowded areas where people are sheltering from the violence. “In just a few weeks, the war has wrought such devastation for Ukraine’s children,” said Russell. “Children urgently need peace and protection. They need their rights. UNICEF continues to appeal for an immediate cease-fire and for the protection of children from harm. Essential infrastructure on which children depend, including hospitals, schools and buildings sheltering civilians, must never come under attack.” UNICEF and its partners are working to reach children in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries with humanitarian assistance. In Ukraine, UNICEF has delivered medical supplies to 49 hospitals in 9 regions – including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Lviv – improving access to healthcare for 400,000 mothers, newborns and children. UNICEF continues to distribute water and hygiene items in communities under siege. In addition, UNICEF is increasing the number of mobile child protection teams working inside acute conflict zones from 22 to 50 and has delivered 63 trucks of lifesaving supplies to support the needs of over 2.2 million people. In the coming weeks, UNICEF will start emergency cash transfers to the most vulnerable families and establish child-friendly spaces in key locations across the country. To protect and support the millions of children and families who have fled Ukraine, UNICEF and UNHCR in partnership with governments and civil society organizations, have created “Blue Dots,” one-stop safe spaces for children and women. ‘Blue Dots’ provide key information to travelling families, help to identify unaccompanied and separated children and ensure their protection. They also provide a hub for essential services. ‘Blue Dots’ have already been established in countries hosting Ukrainian children and women and are being scaled up over the coming days, including more than 20 in Poland. Despite intensive efforts to ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, significant challenges remain in the most affected areas across the country. Displaced children UNICEF Press release 04 May 2020 With financial support from the European Union UNICEF launches the ‘RM Child-Health’ project to strengthen vulnerable refugee and migrant children’s health https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/financial-support-european-union-unicef-launches-rm-child-health-project-strengthen Logo Logo BRUSSELS, GENEVA, 5 May 2020 – Under the Health Programme of the European Union, the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety has committed a project grant to UNICEF to support work ensuring refugee and migrant children and their families have access to quality health care and accurate health information in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia. Refugee and migrant children and their families often have more health-related risks and face a number of barriers accessing quality health care. Many children and families also live with severe emotional distress due to the trauma of fleeing home, undertaking dangerous journeys and experiencing abuse and exploitation, including sexual and gender-based violence. The global COVID19 pandemic further exacerbates these health challenges. “With the ongoing pandemic, protecting every child and adult’s right to health care and accurate heath information is paramount. This collaboration with the EU Health Programme will help ensure the most vulnerable refugee and migrant children will have better access to primary healthcare services, psychosocial support as well as violence prevention and response services,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for the Refuge and Migrant Response in Europe, Ms. Afshan Khan. The project ‘RM Child-Health’ will help improve the health of refugee and migrant children by improving their access to life-saving immunizations, mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based violence prevention and response activities as well as maternal and newborn health care and nutrition support. Information materials on health-related risks and services available for refugee and migrant populations will be created and shared. Medical interpreters and cultural mediators will be deployed to support communication between children and families and health care providers. The project ‘RM Child-Health’ will also support training programmes so frontline health care workers can better respond to the specific needs of refugee and migrant children and their families. In parallel, national health authorities will benefit from technical support to develop, update and improve the implementation of health policies and address bottlenecks in national health systems that currently prevent refugee and migrant children from accessing services. Refugee mother feeding her baby at ADRA community centre in Belgrade. UNICEF/UNI220342/Pancic Article 01 February 2021 Strengthening the implementation of health policies https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/strengthening-implementation-health-policies The initiative also promotes and supports multi-disciplinary approaches and teams to address the complex causes of health problems among refugee and migrant children – from trauma, anxiety and over-crowded conditions, to lack of hygiene facilities and immunization. As a result, support from the ‘RM Child-health’ initiative builds trust between refugee and migrant families and health providers. At the Centre for refugees and migrants near Bela Palanka in south-eastern Serbia, for example, the needs of refugee and migrant women have shaped the development of the Community Centre run by ADRA, with its Mother and Baby Corner for women with infants. Here, women can take part in language classes, sports activities and, crucially, in workshops about their own health and rights. “ The most important thing is that all the advice from our doctor is in line with their economic circumstances and current living situation [in Reception centres],” explains social worker Andja Petrovic. “The advice is tailored to their life and I think they particularly like that, because they can see that their situation is acknowledged. Because when they go to a doctor [in other facilities], they get advice that they can’t follow because they don’t have the living conditions for it.” Also in Serbia, funding from the ‘RM Child-health Initiative’ supports work by UNICEF and the Institute of Mental Health that looks beyond the provision of basic health care to assess the scale and nature of substance abuse among refugee and migrant communities. This cutting-edge field research will guide the development of materials and capacity building specifically for health and community workers who are in regular contact with young refugees and migrants, helping these workers to identify and tackle substance abuse by connecting children and youth to support services. As one researcher involved in the research commented: “Most of those children have spent several years without a home or any sense of stability. They can't make a single plan about the future since everything in their life is so uncertain. I can't begin to imagine how frightening that is.” By building greater rapport between frontline workers and children, and by equipping those workers with the support, skills and resources they need, the ‘RM Child-health’ initiative is helping to transform health policies into health practice. This vital work has been particularly crucial in 2020, as frontline workers have had to confront – and adapt to – the greatest public health crisis in living memory: the COVID-19 pandemic. Logo This story is part of the Project ‘Strengthening Refugee and Migrant Children’s Health Status in Southern and South Eastern Europe’, Co-funded by the Health Programme of the European Union (the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative).It represents the views of the author only and is her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains. Article 29 January 2021 Strengthening national health capacity for refugee and migrant children https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/strengthening-national-health-capacity-refugee-and-migrant-children “This collaboration is helping to stimulate public demand for strong national health systems that work for everybody and that rise to new challenges, such as disease outbreaks.” Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director The ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative has supported work across five European countries to enhance and strengthen the capacity of national health systems to meet the health needs of refugee and migrant children. This work recognizes that a health system that works for such vulnerable children is a health system that works for every child. At first glance, helping a 10-year girl from Iran, now living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, get a new pair of glasses might seem a simple thing. For Maisa, however, this is the end result of a continuum of intensive support, from identifying a girl who struggles with an eye condition, to connecting her to a skilled ophthalmologist. And now Maisa stands in front of a mirror, trying on the glasses that will enhance her life, learning and play. Such a momentous day is only possible when an established health system is equipped to accommodate and respond to the complex needs of refugee and migrant children. Support from the ‘RM Child-Health’ initiative aims to reinforce and enhance health systems across five European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Serbia) so that these systems can deliver the high-quality services that are the right of every child – and that every child needs, regardless of their origins. The aim: to ensure that health systems catch every refugee and migrant child who is in danger of slipping through the gaps. And there are additional benefits: a health system that works for these vulnerable and excluded children is a health system that works for every child, and that can reach those who are so often the very hardest to reach. This 24-month, €4.3 million initiative, which was launched in January 2020 by the European Union Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, aims to strengthen the capacity of health systems to deliver health care to refugee and migrant children. That means ensuring access to life-saving immunization, to mental health and psycho-social support, and services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, as well as maternal and new-born health care and nutrition. Stronger health systems are needed to overcome the bottlenecks that confront so many refugee and migrant families when they try to access health care. “ The profound challenges that often confront populations – especially children – on the move can include cultural and language barriers, stigma and discrimination on the part of health providers, and a lack of detailed medical records or paperwork,” says Dr. Basil Rodriques, UNICEF Regional Health Advisor. “They may also have their own reasons to distrust state-provided services, including fears of deportation.” Footer UNICEF Home What we do Situation for children Where we work Data, Research and Reports Publications Partners Ambassadors and Supporters Become a donor Social Footer Secondary Contact us Legal Footer tertiary Report fraud, abuse, wrongdoing