THE people of Worcestershire may have contrasting views on war in Iraq, but there is one cause that should unite them.

Supporters and opponents of the war cannot fail to be moved by the plight of Iraq's children, who have born the brunt of two devastating wars and international sanctions in the past 25 years.

The country, which was once among the richest in the Middle East, now has one of the world's worst child mortality rates.

One in eight Iraqi children die before the age of five, and half the population is under 18.

Many suffer from chronic malnutrition, despite the United Nation's Oil for Food programme and measures put in place by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.

More than a fifth of the population does not have access to clean water, leading to an increase in water-borne diseases and malnutrition among children.

A quarter of school-age children do not attend school, and the rise in poverty levels has brought about a rise in the number of street children and abandoned youngsters.

The situation is only going to deteriorate as the war progresses.

UNICEF has responded by launching the Children of Iraq Appeal, with the aim of raising £90m over the next six months.

The money will be used in a variety of areas, with the aim of saving thousands of Iraqi children's lives.

Action is already underway, including mass immunisation against polio and measles.

The organisation also aims to provide water and sanitation services to one third of Baghdad's population, and has thousands of tons of emergency relief supplies in place in Iraq and neighbouring countries.

"In any war, it is the children that are affected first, and in the worst possible ways," said Linda McCaughey, UNICEF's Midlands fund-raising manager.

"UNICEF knows from working in conflict situations around the world that children's survival, health, emotional state and education are all put at severe risk.

"UNICEF has been working in Iraq since 1953, and is one of the few agencies with a continuous presence on the ground since the 1980s.

"The needs of children there are urgent."

Evening News readers who would like to help Iraq's children should fill in the coupon on this page and make a donation.

Cheques should be made payable to UNICEF and sent, together with the coupon, to:

UNICEF UK Children of Iraq Appeal, PO Box 186, Telford, TF3 5ET.