While the search-and-rescue phase has definitively past, the life-saving element of humanitarian response remains immediate and pressing. Over 1.26 million children are estimated to be directly affected (approximately 700,000 are school-aged), out of an overall directly affected population of three million. There are three categories of vulnerable groups by location:
· Children and caregivers in temporary settlement sites
· Vulnerable children and care-givers in the border area and inside Dominican Republic
· Displaced children and caregivers in rural areas and their vulnerable host communities
The most urgent priorities for the humanitarian mission as a whole are shelter (only 23% of the estimated needs are currently covered through the Shelter Cluster partners), sanitation (with a coverage rate of only 5-10%), and food. However, for UNICEF, continued provision of safe water, rapid vaccination of children against measles, the scale-up of protection mechanisms to prevent exploitation and abuse of children and the resumption and expansion of learning opportunities are also critical.
