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UNICEF responds to increased cases of AWD/cholera in Somalia's Banadir region

Countries
Somalia
Sources
UNICEF
Publication date

Highlights

  • In response to an increase in cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD)/ cholera in Banadir region, UNICEF supported the activation of the Banadir Hospital cholera treatment centre, providing supplies for treatment of up to 1,500 cases of AWD/cholera.

  • More than 205,000 children aged under-5 were screened since January for acute malnutrition, with treatment of life-threatening Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) provided to over 16,000 children.

  • With the need for emergency water persisting, UNICEF and partners reached close to 35,000 vulnerable people with temporary safe water through water trucking in Baidoa in the Bay region, Luuq and Doolow, as well as Marka and Afgooye districts.

  • Education in emergency interventions reached more than 20,800 children (45 per cent girls) from internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable communities in 102 schools across Somaliland and southern and central regions of Somalia.

Situation in Numbers

4.2 million
People in need of humanitarian assistance
(2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview)
954,000
Children under-5 that are or could be acutely malnourished in the next year
(September 2018 – September 2019)
3 million
Children estimated to be out of school
(2019 Humanitarian Action for Children)
2.6 million
People internally displaced throughout Somalia

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

Children in Somalia continue to live in one of the harshest places in the world to be a child, faced with repeated climate shocks, continued conflict, displacement and violence. By January 2019, over 4.2 million people, including 2.5 million children, need humanitarian assistance and protection1 . Over 1.5 million people are expected to require emergency nutrition support and treatment, with 903,100 children aged under-5 projected to be acutely malnourished from August 2018 to September 2019, including 138,000 severely malnourished.2 By December 2018, over three million children, out of 4.9 million in the country, were estimated to be out of school,3 including 1.85 million school aged children who require urgent assistance. There are also an estimated 2.6 million people displaced in Somalia, including over one million in the last year alone,4 with women and children representing the majority of the displaced. Exclusion and discrimination of women and girls, socially marginalized groups, continue to exacerbate elevated levels of acute humanitarian needs.
The 2018 Deyr season was below average to poor in many parts of Somalia. As a result, the northeast and central regions of Somalia are expected to be affected by drought, with the overall humanitarian situation expected to worsen until the next Gu rainy season in April 20195. The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) was launched in January 2019 and seeks US$ 1.08 billion to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks and displacement across the country6. For 2019, UNICEF is appealing for US$ 145.3 million to sustain the provision of life-saving services including critical nutrition, health, WASH, child protection and education in emergency interventions, as well as cash-based assistance for women and children in Somalia.