UNICEF Spain has donated 418,000 face masks to the Government of Spain in support of the national response on COVID-19. The masks are in addition to the medical supplies that UNICEF Spain donated over the past few weeks, which included 1,050,000 gloves, 100,000 virus detection kits, 1,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) and 97,000 units of hand sanitizer.
“UNICEF Spain is doing everything we can to protect healthcare workers and citizens, and to reduce the spread of infection,” said Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, President of UNICEF Spain. “These protective supplies are part of our overall initiative to protect the health of children, citizens and subsequently, support authorities in combating this pandemic.”
To minimize the risks of the pandemic to children, UNICEF Spain has called on the relevant agencies to hasten the provision of emergency aid and support to the most vulnerable; to allow flexible payments for essential services; to provide financial aid to ensure children have sufficient meals; to strengthen local social services; to guarantee the provision of education, especially for the most vulnerable children including children with disabilities; to increase the allocation of economic and technical support to independent regions; and to allocate more spaces in first reception centers.
UNICEF Spain’s efforts are part of UNICEF’s worldwide response to protect the health of all children, and reach the most vulnerable, providing support including water, sanitation and hygiene, education and protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.
Since the start of the outbreak, UNICEF has shipped more than 5.2 million gloves, 1 million surgical masks, 267,831 N95 respirators, 230,395 gowns and 13,128 goggles to countries across the world.
UNICEF is working with communities, governments and partners around the world to curb the transmission of the coronavirus and minimise the impact of social and economic repercussions on children and their families. To support its global response, UNICEF is appealing for US$651.6 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
