A Bangladeshi child Mukta stands in front of their makeshift shelter in Noli village on southern coastal area of Bangladesh, 22 Nov 2007

Relief workers have set up camps for the scores of children orphaned by last week's deadly cyclone in Bangladesh.

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says nearly half of the survivors from Cyclone Sidr are children, and many of them lost their parents in the storm. The cyclone killed more than 3,500 people, and impacted nearly four million others.

UNICEF says it is providing food, shelter and emotional and psychological support to orphans.

Many cyclone survivors continue to face disease and starvation due to a lack of clean water and food. In some places, people are already suffering from diarrhea, which can be deadly in children.

Relief workers are struggling to get much needed supplies to those who have had no help for nearly a week.

The Bangladeshi government says it has received nearly $400 million in financial aid from the international community, including $250 million from the World Bank.

Two U.S. Navy ships carrying helicopters and supplies are set to arrive in Bangladesh as early as Saturday to assist in the relief efforts.

Cyclone Sidr is the worst natural disaster in Bangladesh since 1991, when a cyclone and storm surge killed around 143,000 people.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.