“Despite significant progress in the food security outlook for the Horn of Africa, the child survival crisis is far from over. Millions of children require sustained assistance in the critical months ahead. Otherwise we can easily see a reversal of the hard-won achievements,” said Elhadj As Sy, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, on the occasion of the launch of the report Response to the Horn of Africa emergency that describes the UNICEF humanitarian operation in the six months after famine was declared in parts of Somalia in July 2011.

“The prospects for a sustained recovery are increasingly precarious. The most recent weather outlook in combination with persisting insecurity and violence in many areas can lead to new shocks and disruptions, a development which again puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of children at risk,” said As Sy, who is the UNICEF Global Emergency Coordinator for the Horn of Africa crisis.

According to the latest projections, the March-May seasonal rains will remain below average in most parts of the region. On-going conflict in Somalia, terror attacks and ethnic violence in parts of Kenya as well as threats against aid workers are limiting humanitarian access to refugees and communities affected by the crisis.

More than 8 million people across the Horn of Africa need emergency assistance. Nearly a third of Somalia’s population—some 2.51 million people—are still in acute humanitarian crisis, including more than 323,000 acutely malnourished children. Some 463,000 Somali refugees in the Dadaab camps in north eastern Kenya, 142,000 people in the Dollo Ado camps in Ethiopia as well as  22,000 people in the Ali Addeh camp in Djibouti as well as 1.35 million Somalis displaced within their own country also continue to require support.

Results achieved in 2011

The report details the results of UNICEF’s massive humanitarian response in the second half of 2011 which include:

• The delivery of more than 60,000 metric tons of life-saving UNICEF supplies to Horn of Africa countries by air, land and sea routes;
• The treatment of close to 350,000 severely malnourished children;
• The vaccination of 7.9 million children against measles;
• The provision of safe water to 3.2 million people; and
• The facilitation of access for more than 200,000 children to child-friendly spaces or other safe environments.

Thanks to massive support from donors and other partners, UNICEF contributed to the downgrading of Somalia’s originally six famine zones to the lower emergency level; a three-fold reduction in global acute malnutrition in Kenya’s Turkana region; and very high recovery rates from acute malnutrition and low mortality rates among children in Ethiopia.

Building the resilience of families and communities

In 2011, UNICEF received more than $405 million for its humanitarian response in the Horn of Africa, reaching 96 per cent of the total amount needed. This year, UNICEF needs an additional $413.8 million for its relief and recovery operations in the Horn of Africa.

Interventions include a strong focus on resilience building among families and communities, for instance through targeted cash transfers, the increased use of mobile health teams, strengthening capacities at community level for early surveillance and treatment of acute malnutrition, mapping of water and sanitation facilities in high risk areas to enable better preparedness, alternative basic education with flexible schooling hours and mobile schools for hard-to-reach populations such as pastoralists and the inclusion of peace education in teacher training programmes as well as other activities to reduce the risk that natural and other hazards turn into yet another disaster.

“The coming months demand continued and sustained support to ensure that the multiple needs of vulnerable children are met and that another catastrophe can be averted,” said As Sy. “If vigilance is not maintained, famine may return. However, together we can make a fundamental difference for millions of children in the Horn of Africa.”

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See this release at Unicef.org.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

Learn about what the Salesians are doing to help those in need in the Horn of Africa.

Special Note: Salesian Missions is working to raise funds to support the aid efforts of Salesians in the Horn of Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia). The Salesians are part of the international Catholic response to the crisis, reaching approximately one million people currently. To make a donation, go to SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

The post UNICEF Report: Despite Recent Improvements, Outlook for the Horn of Africa Increasingly Worrisome first appeared on MissionNewswire.

“We have saved many children, in Somalia, in the refugee camps in neighboring countries as well as in the other regions in Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti hit by prolonged drought, escalating food prices and conflict,”  explains Elhadj As Sy, the UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa, releasing the report entitled Response to the Horn of Africa Emergency.

“Due to the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, we have to increase our immediate response and at the same time lay the foundation for long-term development to prevent a similar catastrophe from happening again.”

He called for the scaling up of integrated interventions in health, nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, education and child protection.

A total of 13.3 million people needed assistance in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti as a result of what aid agencies said was the worst drought in the region in six decades.

More than 450,000 Somalis have fled to refugee camps around Dadaab in north-eastern Kenya, including 100,000 since June. Another 183,000 Somalis entered Ethiopia. Some 20,000 other refugees from Somalia went to Djibouti. Famine was formally declared in six areas of Somalia.

Thousands of children have already died, and more than 320,000 – half of them in central and southern Somalia – are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.

Thanks to international support over the past three months, UNICEF and partners across the Horn of Africa have achieved important results on which to build, according to the report.

Over the past three months, UNICEF has delivered 10,000 tons of assorted life-saving relief supplies to the Horn of Africa by air, land and sea, and supported the treatment of 108,000 severely malnourished children in therapeutic feeding centers. Some 1.2 million children have been vaccinated against measles, and an estimated 2.2 million people benefited from access to safe water. About 48,000 children were provided access to child-friendly environments.

In central and southern Somalia, where access for humanitarian agencies is limited, UNICEF has been able to reach 350,000 people with supplementary feeding and some 30,000 families with cooked meals while they were on their way to the refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

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Special Note: Salesian Missions is working to raise funds to support the aid efforts of Salesians in the Horn of Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia). The Salesians are part of the international Catholic response to the crisis, reaching approximately one million people currently. To make a donation, go to SalesianMissions.org, click on Donate Now and select “African Famine Fund.”

The post UNICEF REPORT: More Resources Needed to Maintain Relief Effort in Horn of Africa first appeared on MissionNewswire.