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UNICEF SUPPORTS SUMMER CAMPS FOR WAR-AFFECTED CHILDREN

Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict Materials 25 July 2005 14:34 (UTC +04:00)
UNICEF SUPPORTS SUMMER CAMPS FOR WAR-AFFECTED CHILDREN

UNICEF-supported summer camp activities begin this week in Goranboy, bringing recreational and play activities to some 120 boys and girls, the Baku Office of UNICEF told Trend.

Summer camp participants are child mine survivors and

children from mine-survivor families that also include IDPs from the mine contaminated areas along the front line. Between the end of July and the beginning of September, two summer camps, operating at the Goranboy boarding school, will provide the war-affected children with an opportunity to improve their social interaction skills, receive information on mine risk and will help to facilitate their integration into society.

“Lind mines are horrific weapons that continue to inflict harm indiscriminately on innocent people long after the armed conflict has ended,” said Hanaa Singer, UNICEF Representative in Azerbaijan. “These summer camps aim at providing opportunities for children affected by armed conflict to play, to have fun, to express themselves, their fears, hopes and dreams in a supportive and safe environment and thus heal some of their psychological wounds.”

Each camp will host 60 children, with the first one opening on 25 July till 3 August and the second on 29 August till 7 September. The summer camp participants were identified based on the recent Mine Victims Need Assessment Survey of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA).

The UNICEF-supported camp is to contribute to the mine action programme of ANAMA in the area of mine victims assistance and is run in collaboration with the ANAMA, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Tourism, Initiatives for the Sake of Development, Azerbaijan Republic Child Organisation and Right to Play.

Today according to the ANAMA survey out of the 1883 mine survivors 22 are children (aged 0-18 years) and there are around 400 mine survivor families with children.

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