UNICEF in the
Central African Republic
More than half the population of CAR is in need of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF is there.
Crisis in CAR
The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the world’s poorest countries, and one of the most dangerous places to be a child. Years of civil conflict have taken a heavy toll, with over 1 in 5 people displaced by recurring violence. More than half the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
Basic services — safe water, electricity — are nonexistent in many areas. The country's fragile health system leaves the country prone to disease outbreaks and ill-equipped to fight them. Newborn and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of children were already out of school when COVID-19 hit, and school reopenings have been slow. Malnutrition rates among children are on the rise as the country struggles to overcome the pandemic's harsh socio-economic impacts.
Olivier Mirindi, Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Bambari, speaks to the challenges and rewards of helping children get the nutrition, education and protection they need:
What UNICEF is doing to help children in CAR
UNICEF delivers critical support to the children of the Central African Republic by:
- Improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Vaccinating children against measles and polio
- Treating children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food
- Providing emotional support to children in Child-Friendly Spaces
- Helping more girls go to school — and stay in school
- Distributing learning materials to children uprooted by violence
