ReliefWeb

Total people in need 8 million Total children (<18) in need 4.24 million Total people to be reached 3 million Total children to be reached 1.59 million

2020 programme targets

Nutrition

482,630 children aged 6 to 59 months affected by SAM admitted for treatment

1,251,653 children aged 6 to 59 months receiving vitamin A supplementation in target regions

2020 programme targets

Health

80,000 children under 15 years vaccinated against measles

10,000 people affected by cholera accessing life-saving curative interventions

460,000 people receiving medical consultations in target regions

WASH

3,000,000 people accessing a sufficient quantity of safe water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene

2,000,000 people reached with key messages on hygiene practices

Child protection

96,250 children reached with mental health and psychosocial support services

118,750 women and children accessing gender-based violence prevention and response interventions

5,570 unaccompanied and separated children reunified and accessing family-based care or appropriate alternative services

Education

190,000 children accessing formal or non-formal education

202,000 children receiving individual learning materials

Social protection

220,000 households receiving cash transfers

Communication for development

1,450,000 people reached with key lifesaving/behaviour change messages on diseases, immunization, nutrition practices and child care

Ethiopia

Some 8 million people in Ethiopia, including 4.24 million children, require food assistance; 7.2 million people lack access to safe drinking water; and over 503,000 children are severely malnourished and require treatment. In addition, 3.1 million people, including 1.6 million children, are displaced; and Ethiopia is hosting over 655,000 refugees, making it the second largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. In the context of the rapid social, economic and political transformation taking place in Ethiopia, children and women are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of inter-communal conflict, drought, flooding and disease outbreaks, including cholera. Food insecurity, lack of access to safe water, malnutrition and the high numbers of out-of-school children are expected to persist and compound existing needs. In addition, refugees and internally displaced people, particularly women and girls, require protection from gender-based violence, exploitation and abuse. Ethiopia's pivotal geographic position in the Horn of Africa and its established migration routes are amplifying the risk of disease outbreaks, including measles, cholera and Ebola. The current resources to respond to the humanitarian needs are inadequate across all sectors, particularly education; and the limited number of partners, challenging topography, pockets of insecurity and access constraints are hampering the provision of humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian strategy

In 2020, UNICEF will deliver life-saving services for children and families displaced by conflict and affected by climatic shocks, disease outbreaks, natural hazards and malnutrition in Ethiopia. Given the chronic/ protracted nature of the needs, UNICEF will apply multi-sectoral systems-building approaches and cash-based solutions using its extensive footprint in Ethiopia and its strong capacities for community outreach to build resilience and ensure durable solutions. Integrated services will be delivered through common platforms, cross-referrals and communication for development strategies, capitalizing on UNICEF’s field presence and leveraging its sector co-leadership roles in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition, education and child protection. UNICEF will prioritize partner resources and target in an equitable manner. Resources will be invested in mitigating and preventing violence, including gender-based violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect; and all programmes will be delivered with consideration for gender.
Protection will be mainstreamed across sectors to enhance systems for children and their families; and strengthen reporting mechanisms for the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF will also establish mechanisms – including multi-agency community-based feedback and complaint mechanisms – to strengthen its accountability to affected populations. Efforts to meet the needs of people with disabilities in humanitarian action are currently limited.

Results from 2019

As of 31 August 2019, UNICEF had US$52.8 million available against the US$143.5 million appeal (37 per cent funded). In line with the 2019 Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan,
UNICEF reached 2.1 million people, 53 per cent of them children, with life-saving interventions, focusing on those displaced by conflict or drought and those at risk of malnutrition, preventable diseases such as cholera, and violence, exploitation and abuse. Refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and South Sudan also received essential support.

Overall, the year's results are on track, except in education – UNICEF-supported education services only reached 21 per cent of vulnerable children, mainly due to the 84 per cent funding gap. Lack of access to social services has also been a significant obstacle to child protection. UNICEF supported the treatment of nearly 182,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and ensured access to safe water for 1.3 million people. UNICEF support also helped avert a potentially catastrophic cholera outbreak in Addis Ababa. The child protection response contributed to strengthening case management systems and reunifying over 1,600 children. UNICEF also provided direct technical support to the National Disaster Risk Management Commission to conduct multiagency seasonal assessments and prepare contingency and response plans.