Humanitarian Action for Children 2011 - Unicef

UgandaChildren and women in crisisUganda is in the midst of an extensive recovery from a deep humanitarian crisis that affectedthe entire northern region. At the same time, recovery may also be affected by the Ugandanpresidential elections and the referendum in Sudan in early 2011, which draft estimatessay may cause an additional 100,000 new refugees to seek shelter in Uganda. There arecurrently still over 112,000 1 displaced persons in northern Uganda, including 28,000 children.Additionally, climate change is expected to produce increasingly erratic rainfall, resulting infloods and landslides and exacerbating the effects of cyclic drought. Although severe acutemalnutrition and global acute malnutrition are below emergency levels, undernutrition ispersistent in the north and north-eastern regions and sanitation coverage in some districts issignificantly below the national average.Humanitarianfunding at work:Highlights from 2010In 2010, UNICEF estimatedthat US$27,096,711was required to fund itshumanitarian work inUganda. As of end-October,only US$4,919,350 – 18 percent – had been received.This limited the scopeof UNICEF’s emergencyactivities, but significantresults were achievednonetheless. Nearly 12,000children with severe acutemalnutrition in the northand north-eastern regionsreceived treatment. In theaftermath of landslides ineastern Uganda, UNICEFhelped survivors gainaccess to water, sanitationand hygiene, and providedlearning and other safespaces for children. Inthe wake of cholera andhepatitis E outbreaks in theKaramoja region, UNICEFsupported WASH-relatedinterventions and helpedcommunities mobilizeto prevent disease fromspreading. UNICEF also wasable to build the protectionand emergency responsecapacities of District DisasterManagement Committeesin the north and northeasternregions by providingtraining in preparedness andresponse.Meeting urgent needs and building resilience in 2011Following the handover of cluster coordination responsibilities in 2010, UNICEF’s work inUganda in 2011 will include ensuring continued coordination of cluster activities throughthe delegated agencies responsible for managing humanitarian response. UNICEF expectsto partner closely with the Government of Uganda, other UN agencies and a host of nongovernmentalorganizations to meet the humanitarian needs of around 732,000 people,including approximately 183,000 children.• UNICEF will equip and train staff in 115 health facilities to identify and manage treatment of13,000 children with severe acute malnutrition.• Preventive and curative health services will be provided for children under age 5 andpregnant women in camps for internally displaced persons, areas of return and emergencyaffectedregions.• UNICEF will support scale-up and implementation of community case management and commoditysecurity for essential drugs so that women and children included in the 732,000 targetedcaseload for 2011 are more resilient to potential emergencies. Nearly 4 million people are atrisk of meningitis in Uganda, and UNICEF will help carry out national vaccination campaigns.• 232,000 people in areas affected by drought or flooding, places experiencing outbreaks ofwaterborne diseases, or remaining vulnerable people in former internally displaced personcamps will benefit from improved access to safe water and sanitation.• Around 780,000 students, 50 per cent boys and 50 per cent girls, in the north and northeasternregions and in new refugee communities will have better access to safe learningenvironments crucial to education and well-being.• UNICEF will help protect and reintegrate more than 250,000 children who have returned fromnorthern Uganda’s internally displaced community to areas of origin. UNICEF will help thesechildren access existing social services and will respond to any violence against them.• Potential fallout from the referendum in neighbouring Sudan is part of UNICEF’s multihazardpreparedness plan, based on figures developed as part of the organization’s regionalplanning approach.• UNICEF’s efforts to build the capacity of national partners to prepare for and respond tovarious types of emergencies will also remain an important focus.Funding requirements for 2011In the context of reduced humanitarian focus and increased recovery programming, UNICEF isrequesting US$10 million for its 2011 humanitarian work in Uganda, less than half of what wasrequested for 2010. Full funding will enable the organization to maximize its positive impact onthe lives of children and their families at a crucial moment in Uganda’s history.More information on achievements of 2010 and the humanitarian action planned forUganda in 2011 can be found at www.unicef.org/hac2011.1. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, ‘UNHCR Operation in Uganda: Fact Sheet’, UNHCR, Kampala,19 November 2010, p. 1.UNICEF EMERGENCY NEEDS FOR 2011 (in US dollars)Total $10,000,0002,000,000 Health1,500,000 Child protection3,000,000 Nutrition2,000,000 WASH1,500,000 Education42 2011 UNICEF Humanitarian Action FOR CHILDREN | www.unicef.org/hac2011Uganda