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UNICEF Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report #10 – Reporting Period: November 2016

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Ethiopia
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UNICEF
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Highlights:

• Between January and September 2016, 247,480 children with severe acute malnutrition were admitted to the national Community Management of Acute Malnutrition programme. Out of these, 19,920 children (8 per cent) were admitted to in-patient care.

• In response to the new influx of South Sudanese refugees, UNICEF supported the Regional Health Bureau of Gambella to vaccinate 23,543 children 0 to 15 years old and 21,863 children 6 months to 14 years old against polio and measles respectively.

• Between September and November 2016, 42,768 new South Sudanese refugees arrived in Gambella Region, western Ethiopia. Out of the total registered new arrivals, 64 per cent were children under the age of 18, including 9,180 unaccompanied and separated children.

• UNICEF provided 20 vehicles funded by the German Government to support the mobile health and nutrition teams in Afar and Somali regions. These vehicles will enable the teams to provide health and nutrition services in remote areas of these two regions, which are now affected by the Indian Ocean Dipole drought.

Situation in Numbers

9.7 million people require relief food assistance in 2016. (HRD, August 2016). 420,000 children are expected to require treatment for SAM in 2016. (HRD, August 2016)

3.9 million people require access to safe drinking water. (HRD, August 2016)

Currently, there are 783,340 refugees in Ethiopia. (UNHCR, October 2016).

UNICEF requires US$124 million for its humanitarian work in 2016, including US$115.5 million for the drought response and US$8.5 million for refugee programming.

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

The National Disaster Risk Management Commission and its humanitarian partners have released an initial summary of the humanitarian response plan for 2017. The plan is based on early warning data and will be updated with findings from the 19 November - 09 December Meher assessment. The multi-agency and multi-sectoral assessment is being conducted in all regions, covering 246 pastoralist and crop producing woredas to estimate humanitarian needs for 2017. UNICEF is providing technical as well as logistical assistance for the assessment and is represented in 15 of the 23 teams. The 2017 Humanitarian Requirement Document (HRD) is expected to be released in January.

The Government of Ethiopia reported that a good harvest is expected during the current Meher harvest period, which started in November. This year’s harvest is expected to be 10 per cent higher than last year’s, which will have a positive impact on food availability and food security.

On the other hand, a new drought threatens the southern and southeastern areas of the country that have a different rain pattern. Seven of the nine zones of Somali Region as well as Bale, Borena and parts of Guji zones of Oromia Region have been affected by the poor performance of the Deyr/Hageya rains (October to December), which has led to a shortage of water and pasture. Deaths and poor livestock condition have been reported. The most important factor affecting the nutritional and health status of children in these pastoral areas will be reduced milk production.

South Sudanese refugees continue to arrive in the Gambella Region. Since the new influx started in September 2016, 42,768 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in the country, of whom 42,721 were registered and relocated to Jewi, Kule, Tierkidi and Nguenyyiel refugee camps in Gambella Region. Of the total registered new arrivals, 64 per cent were children under the age of 18, including 9,180 unaccompanied and separated children. UNHCR and partners expect that 330,000 South Sudanese refugees will be registered by the end of the year. Another 125,000 asylum seekers are estimated to arrive in 2017.

The acute watery diarrhea (AWD) situation in the country is improving in most affected regions. However, the situation in Somali, Oromia and Afar regions is still of concern with regard to further outbreaks. The government and humanitarian partners are further strengthening their AWD interventions in these regions. While the scabies situation is improving in Tigray and Amhara regions, the outbreak is now spreading in SNNPR region, and partners’ interventions are ongoing.