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UNITED NATIONS
NATIONS UNIES
UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR
THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA)
DROUGHT NEWSLETTER
No. 3
Update
Among the 1.7 million people identified by
FAO’s Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) Post 2005 Deyr Survey as being in need
of urgent assistance and protection in
An OCHA-led joint needs assessment from 22-30
January to Rab Dhuure, Wajid, Elbarde, and Huddur, in Bakool region, and
Berdale, Dinsor, Qansahdere, and Baidoa, in Bay region, comprising WFP, UNICEF,
WVI, ACF, IMC and the SRCS, found the districts of Rab Dhuure and Elbarde
(Bakool) and Dinsor and Qansadhere (Bay), to be the most affected in terms of
water and food needs. The major water-related problems in those regions are the
lack of generators, damaged borehole pumps, and the dropping water level in the
shallow wells. The team reported increasing levels of malnutrition, depletion
of household livelihood assets, and increasing movements of people towards
parts of
As mentioned in the last Newsletter, IASC
Somalia members have decided to review the Somalia Consolidated Appeal for 2006
to better reflect the magnitude of the ongoing crisis. The new Appeal will be
available by mid-March 2006 and shared with the donor community at a public
launch just after its publication. Meanwhile, donors are urged to support the
humanitarian community by contributing to the current Appeal as well as to the
increased food requirements. At an IASC-donor meeting this week in
Access and insecurity remain one of the main
concerns of the humanitarian community to ensure an adequate and timely
response to the crisis. The Disaster Committee of the Transitional Federal
Government has created a technical Committee, which among other things will
look into access issues. Members of the parliamentary committees are also
seeking ways to improve security and access for the delivery of humanitarian
assistance. UN agencies and their partners are finalising a one-page statement
on basic humanitarian principles for local communities to adhere to. WFP and
its partners are about to start a community mobilisation campaign to prepare
the ground for food deliveries.
Coordination
The first Inter Agency Standing Committee
(IASC)
On-going response
·
Food security
While 700 MT are being distributed in Bay and
Bakool, WFP field staff has started travelling to various regions for community
mobilization and sensitization. Similarly, all potential implementing partners
were contacted and briefed, and a number of field-level agreements are being
finalised.
WFP is in the process of transporting some
5,000 MT of sorghum (borrowed from
Furthermore, WFP has finalised the preparation
of a detailed draft distribution plan highlighting distribution points by area.
The distribution will take place through some 250 points in 6 regions covering
19 districts. Implementing partners as well as the tonnage required for each
distribution point have been identified.
·
Health and
nutrition:
In the health sector, WHO,
UNICEF and international and local NGO partners are finalizing micro planning
for a measles/vitamin A campaign beginning early next month in the five
drought-affected regions of southern
Health partners have been
contacted and requested to share with WHO surveillance data from their projects
in drought-affected areas. Data from these new sentinel sites will be included
in the weekly surveillance report that WHO and partners produce on a weekly
basis. Surveillance for cholera is intensifying in the affected areas, as this
is the beginning of the cholera season in
To supplement ongoing UNICEF
essential drugs distribution programmes, WHO sent four Emergency health kits
(sufficient for 40,000 people for 3 months or 120,000/month) to Garowe
(Puntland) and
·
Water and
sanitation:
UNICEF has signed partnership
agreements with WVI and COOPI and is discussing further cooperation in the
water sector with GHC, GTZ, AFREQ and NCA.
Water and sanitation cluster partners are providing information on their
response that will be shared with FAO and SWALIM for activity mapping.
A two-day inter-agency workshop
on community hygiene awareness promotion and water chlorination practice was
held on 3-4 February in Wajid, Bakool region, with the joint support of ACF,
IMC and UNICEF. Community representatives of drought-hit villages from 5
districts in the region, as well as representatives from UNICEF, OCHA, ACF,
IMC, ADRA, WVI and Concern participated. The need to focus activities on, as a
first priority, the maintenance of existing deep wells, the rehabilitation of
non-functioning deep wells, the deepening of shallow wells, and the supply of
water to health centres, including Therapeutic Feeding Centres, was confirmed.
These activities are to be supplemented by the rehabilitation of livestock dams
and hygiene and sanitation mobilization, as well as water trucking as the
drought intensifies.
In Bakool region, UNICEF has
supported the community in the rehabilitation of a borehole in Kurta village
(30 km south of Wajid), which is providing water to over 9-10,000 people in and
around the village. UNICEF is installing pumps and generators for a borehole in
Geliyai, and has selected two shallow wells for rehabilitation in the Wajid
area, for the use of IDPs, pending agreement with the local authorities. The
rehabilitation of the borehole in Yeed posed problems but second round attempts
are being planned. UNICEF is planning water trucking for several locations in
Rab Dhuure district.
A UNICEF sponsored hygiene
awareness and chlorination refresher training workshop took place in Wajid on
3-4 February for chlorinators from ACF, IMC, ADRA, community organisations and
district water and sanitation committee members. UNICEF has supplied chlorine
for water purification activities in the Huddur area in partnership with ADRA.
ADRA has completed water
assessments in the Huddur area and is undertaking hygiene education in a number
of communities. The NGO is planning to rehabilitate 5 boreholes (in
Garasweyene, Elberde,
ACF has completed the rehabilitation of 40 out
of 50 shallow wells in Wajid district, is undertaking the rehabilitation of the
borehole in Dag, providing fuel for the borehole in
In Bay region, Concern Worldwide carried out a 4-day assessment in
Wajid, Qansadhere and Dinsor from 28 January to 1 February. The team travelled
by car from Wajid and was shocked by the conditions. In many villages, they
were told that water would be gone within four or five days and people were
planning where to move, in search of water. Food was not the main priority for
those interviewed – water was the main concern. Concern is currently trying to
purchase generators, pipes etc. as quickly as possible in order to have
equipment in Wajid by the end of the week. Concern is discussing its
involvement in Qansadhere and Berdale with UNICEF and other partners in the
water sector. Its response plans include the rehabilitation of 5 boreholes in
Berdale (Wardille, Toosilow, Aw-sheen, Baaway Horgylow, Kurton) and 3 in
Qansadhere: Buulo-Fuur, Ufurow, Gaduudo, and Dhunti (rain water catchment).
UNICEF is planning to respond to water needs in
In Gedo region, UNICEF and ASEP are continuing
discussions regarding shallow well systems for the Elwak area (rehabilitation
of shallow wells and hygiene education), and reviewing a proposal from the
Bardera Water Committee for a water kiosk distribution system.
In Middle Juba, WVI is undertaking chlorination and hygiene promotion
with UNICEF support.
·
Education:
In the education sector, a first field
assessment in some locations indicates a massive closure of schools,
particularly in Bay where only 14 out of 115 schools are currently open. As
part of the overall response to the drought, UNICEF plans to address needs in
the education sector in a coordinated way. UNICEF is calling NGOs active in
this sector in the affected areas to a first coordination meeting this week
(please see information below). The UNICEF focal point for the drought response
education cluster is Mrs. Valeria Saggiomo.
·
Funding:
Funding shortages have been reported that are
preventing an immediate start of humanitarian response activities in some of
the drought-affected areas. In view of this, the Humanitarian Response Fund
(HRF) for
UNICEF has the equipment and
supplies needed to rehabilitate 16 bore wells and is calling on NGOs to step
forward and engage in joint rehabilitation work immediately to step up the
response in the water sector.
Upcoming events and
meetings
Food aid: The next food
coordination meeting will take place on 14 February in
Water and
sanitation: The next meeting of the Bay/Bakool Water Group is scheduled for 22
February in Wajid.
Health and
nutrition: A meeting of partners involved in Supplementary Food Distributions,
including UNICEF, WFP, IMC, DMO, SRCS, MSF-B, is tentatively scheduled to take
place in Wajid on 15 February. It will review current plans, the expansion of
capacities required to respond to the drought and contingency planning for the
months ahead.
Coordination:
The next Humanitarian Response Group/Drought
Working Group meeting will take place on 23 February at 14:30hrs in
Education:
UNICEF is convening a first
coordination meeting of agencies and NGOs active in the education sector on
Friday, 10 February at 10:00hrs at the SACB. Agencies will be invited to share
their views on the effects of the drought, the current status of schools
(enrolment decline, closure, problems), and on the response they are planning
and/or providing in their field locations. One of the aims of the meeting will
be to identify key partners for the response.
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For further information, please contact Amanda Di Lorenzo, Information Officer (ext. 113) or Marie Spaak, Drought Focal Point (ext. 103)