Basic educational supplies are also provided.
O'Donnell launched the initiative with UNICEF after visiting Malawi last summer where he witnessed the great need for basic educational supplies.
"There are many children in schools affected by the conflict or in marginalized areas where basic educational supplies are really needed," says the UNICEF Special Representative in occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Dan Rohrmann.
UNICEF and the Iraq Ministry of Education have also jointly developed a package of basic educational supplies for primary and intermediate students (Grades 1-9 .. Each package only costs about US$5 per student and includes a backpack, notebooks, pencils, sharpeners, erasers and a drawing book.
In addition to assessing countries' needs for basic educational infrastructure, supplies and services, ELP helps create advocacy campaigns, monitoring and evaluation systems reaching down to community and village levels, and improved national data collection systems.
A Security Council sanctions committee also has relinquished oversight of imports of essentials like food, medicines and basic educational and agricultural supplies.
The assistance will address the urgent need for safe water and sanitation, monitoring the nutritional status of women and children, and providing food, basic health care, and educational supplies to children and families living in shelters.
UNICEF and partners are supporting the campaign by supplying basic educational materials for teachers and pupils, schools and 'learning spaces'; strengthening the Ministry of Education (which was extensively looted); mobilizing parents and communities to enrol children; and encouraging the education of girls to address the imbalance of girls and boys attending school.
The UNICEF supplies, which also include first aid kits, emergency health kits, tents, blankets, bathing soap, detergent, children's clothing and educational supplies including basic school supplies (school in a box kits) and children's story books, will be distributed through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).
In addition, the distribution of educational kits to students and teachers during the period 1993-1996 was crucial because the country was facing serious shortages of education supplies, and this activity significantly contributed to ensuring access to basic educational services.
Members of the education cluster, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, have provided educational supplies to all public schools, and will carry out recreational activities, including psychosocial support, as well as carrying basic repairs for lightly damaged schools.
