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Angola: CERF gives $5 million for populations affected by drought and food insecurity

Countries
Angola
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

22 June 2012: Angola has recently been impacted by drought in portions of the country due to a significant decrease in rainfall, which has adversely affected the food security of vulnerable households and malnutrition levels. According to Government assessments, an estimated 366,780 households, or some 1.8 million people are affected by drought in 11 provinces. A nutrition survey conducted in 10 provinces in April and March 2012 revealed that more than 533,000 children under age 5 in surveyed areas are affected by malnutrition. Of this, more than 105,000 are suffering from severe malnutrition.

Despite recent progress in poverty reduction and improvements in maternal health, Angola continues to have one of the world’s highest under-five mortality rates. The drought has threatened these gains and children and women are the most at risk. As the nutrition status of children weakens, they become more susceptible to diseases such as malaria, measles and cholera, among other illness. The lack of clean water and sanitation increases the risk of transmission of diarrheal diseases and cholera, further threatening the health and well-being of communities.
In response, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated US$5,102,132 to three UN agencies in Angola in response to the drought.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) received $3,352,207 from the Fund to provide life-saving nutrition interventions in the three provinces most affected by the drought : Bie, Huambo, and Kwanza Sul. Jointly with support of a CERF grant of $752,052 to the World Health Organization (WHO), the two UN agencies will help provide life-saving nutrition and medical support to 306,489 children under age 5 suffering from global acute malnutrition in the three provinces during a six month period. Activities will include rapid screening of children under age 5 to identify those with moderate or severe acute malnutrition, and provision of life-saving nutritional and medical support to severely malnourished children. Activities will also support training of medical staff at health centres for diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition, and support to information and outreach activities at the community level.

To support efforts to ensure the food security of the most vulnerable households, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) received a grant of $997,873 to improve household food security and food consumption of 165,000 families through distribution of vegetable seeds and equipment to affected communities. The FAO-funded project will support some 827,000 people.

For further information, please call:
OCHA-CERF Raquel Wexler, +1 917 367-9387, wexler@un.org
OCHA-CERF Susan Le Roux + 1 917 367 4252 leroux@un.org
The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.