United States Fund for UNICEF - Haiti

The effort is critical in Haiti, where almost half the population is under 18 years of age. Because children are particularly susceptible to diarrheal diseases , they urgently need access to safe water and proper sanitation in the immediate aftermath of disasters such as this.

"Our major focus, in terms of supply, is water and sanitation," said UNICEF Senior Emergency Health Advisor Dr. Robin Nandy.

Due to the lack of sanitation in quake-stricken communities, added Nandy, "there's a huge risk of communicable diseases such as diarrhea and measles. And this could cause a large amount of illness, as well as deaths, among women and children in particular."

Despite all of this accelerating activity, relief operations have only just begun in Haiti.That much, at least, is clear amidst the unimaginable death, injuries and damage to infrastructure in the Caribbean nation—which already faced extreme poverty and a serious humanitarian crisis before the earthquake hit.

Lifesaving supplies and equipment are already arriving to help ease the suffering of a people whose history is already too full of hardship. Getting those supplies to the children and families who desperately need them is UNICEF's highest priority.

Source: http://www.unicefusa.org/