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| An SOS Children's Villages relief truck provides emergency supplies to the Karnplay Refugee Center in Liberia. |
June 2, 2011: Due to the ongoing violence in Ivory Coast, tens of thousands have fled the country for the relative safety of Liberia. In several refugee camps and communities along the border, relief organizations are struggling to provide the desperate refugees with basic necessities and medication. A second convoy with emergency supplies was sent by SOS Children’s Villages and arrived on May 26 2011.
The second convoy was escorted by four SOS staff with relief supplies to be distributed in several communities and camps. SOS has been in close coordination with the UNHCR to ensure help is given to those most in need.
Over a thousand refugees have settled in the community of Karnplay where the number of refugees is increasing. Several camps in the four Liberian counties share a border with the Ivory Coast. Karnplay, located on the border of the Ivory Coast, is one of 16 communities within Nimba County providing shelter of refugees along with the help of the UNHCR, which has set up 130 shelters in Karnplay alone.
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| Karnplay Refugee Center in Liberia |
Children Especially Vulnerable to Spreading Diseases
As more and more people arrive at the camps and communities every day, the need for basic food, sanitation and medical supplies is still great in spite of the efforts of several relief organizations. The children are especially vulnerable to diseases such as malnutrition and diarrhoea that spread easily in these conditions.
Mothers at Karnplay Refugee Center in Nimba Cry for Assistance
Helpless and frustrated mothers have been left to care for their infants whose fathers are missing or have died during the recent civil crises.
Here's an insight on the plight of one of the many single mothers who presently care for many fatherless children at the Karnplay Refugees Center in Nimba County:
40-year-old Betty Struggles with Four Children
"I have no husband here in this County. I am a refugee. I have four children but their father died in this recent war in Ivory Coast. I came here at the refugee center with my four children to find out if I can get any assistance for my children. But imagine how it is difficult for me to care for these children as a woman in this unknown country."
You can help children and families affected by conflict. Make a donation to SOS Children's Villages to provide emergency relief in Liberia and around the world.