UNICEF reports Syria funding shortfall as number of displaced people rises
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Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Spokesperson
A $132 million appeal for Syria and the region remains $90 million underfunded, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Friday in Geneva.
Meanwhile, the agency reported that the number of internally displaced Syrians continues to grow, half of whom are children.
While the last official estimates put the figure at 1.2 million, UNICEF said this information is several weeks old and the numbers have risen.
Spokesperson Marixie Mercado shared the testimony of two 14 year old girls who are now living in a school in the capital, Damascus.
"The second girl said the sound of explosions brought back images of destruction and death she had witnessed. 'I am afraid that; no, I have a strong feeling that I might die without seeing my own home again,' she said. 'Every day I cry. My parents don't want us to visit it so we don't bemoan it as they keep telling us. I wish to go back, tidy the closet and clean up our apartment which was only recently renovated.' She said she longed for her new blouse for Eid and said that her family hadn't fully celebrated Eid Al-Fitr but that at least they had stayed at home." (31 secs)
Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, took place in August.
The Joint UN-Arab League Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi this week called for a cease-fire during Eid Al-Adha on 26 October.
That holiday celebrates the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and is one of the holiest in the Muslim calendar.
