UNICEF named Colombia as one of 28 countries where children are living in dire poverty, in its “Humanitarian Action Report 2010,” released Thursday.
The children’s advocacy group called for $1.2 billion to help women and children in Colombia, as well as 27 other countries including Afghanistan, North Korea and Ethiopia. Haiti is the only other Latin American country that UNICEF identified as urgently needing funds.
According to UNICEF, 18,000 children under the age of five die every year in Colombia.