THE Isle of Man branch of UNICEF is appealing to residents to donate what they can to help the current crisis in Libya.
The country is in turmoil and thousands have been killed or injured after protesters demanded that Colonel Gaddafi step down from power in the country.
It is estimated that 100,000 people have fled the country in recent weeks and are now living as refugees in Egypt and Tunisia.
UNICEF has launched the Libya Crisis Children's Appeal to help vulnerable children who are at risk of malnutrition, exploitation and disease.
A statement from the charity said: "We must act now to minimise the impact for children, who are always most vulnerable in emergencies, and to prevent this from expanding into a larger scale humanitarian crisis."
Voirrey Collister, the chairman of UNICEF on Mann, said: "Following our recent award of the UNICEF Best Emergency Fundraising Group, which highlighted the generosity of Islanders, we would kindly urge Isle of Man residents to once again dig deep and assist in UNICEF's response to the Libya crisis."
UNICEF's priorities are to provide safe drinking water and sanitation to families who have crossed the borders. The charity is also preparing to up the provision of immediate basic health supplies including emergency health kits and vaccinations. A donation of £30 could provide three families with basic water and sanitation kits.
Anyone wishing to make a donation is asked to contact Voirrey on 07624 233343 who will arrange collection.
