The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF has announced a donation of US$ 450,000 for relief and recovery efforts for the victims of cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.

A release from Washington Monday said the cyclone affected about 8.5 million people in Bangladesh in 30 districts and about half of the affected people are children. An estimated 600,000 of them are under five years of age. The contribution-evenly split between immediate relief and long-term recovery interventions-will go towards meeting the immediate funding needs of UNICEF, currently estimated at almost US$ 30 million.

George Harrison had a long association with Bangladesh and UNICEF. "Children are at their most vulnerable during natural disasters and it is incumbent upon all of us to act fast to save as many lives as possible," said Olivia Harrison, wife of late George Harrison whose great contribution to Bangladesh's liberation war is still remembered with gratitude. President and CEO of the US Fund for UNICEF said "with such a large number of children affected in Bangladesh, UNICEF is playing a key role in ensuring their survival in the coming weeks and months."

He said, "This contribution keeps alive George Harrison's longstanding tradition of goodwill towards Bangladesh, but shows that children need our assistance, regardless of the borders they are born between."

In 2005, Olivia Harrison launched the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF in her late husband's name with an initial donation of $1 million.

It specifically targets UNICEF programs in Bangladesh but also provides lifesaving assistance to children suffering from civil conflict, natural disasters and poverty elsewhere. The launch of the fund coincided with the release of a DVD and CD of 'The Concert for Bangladesh' which generates further income for the fund.

The release said with cold weather on the way, children and women in Bangladesh require urgent life-saving assistance such as medical supplies, food, clothing and shelter to be able to survive. Other critical priorities include ensuring access to a safe water supply and sanitation facilities to mitigate the threat of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery, to which children are particularly susceptible.