Situation Report UNICEF Mali August 2013 HEADLINES The second round of Presidential elections took place on 11 August without incident. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won the presidential runoff with 78 per cent of the vote and is due to be sworn in by Mali's Supreme Court on 4 September. Legislative elections are to be held in the near future though the precise date remains unclear. UNICEF continues to engage with the government as well as technical and financial partners in the planning and development for Early Recovery and long-term development strategies to help Mali build back better. UNICEF is playing a key role in the return of basic social services in the North and is supporting a mapping exercise to better understand access and functionality of basic social services in 36 priority commune areas where high numbers of displaced people or refugees are expected to return. Addressing the needs of teachers and students and improving the quality of teaching are fundamental investments on which UNICEF continues to focus for the 2013 – 2014 Back to School initiative to build a better education system across Mali. Providing hardware such as desks, books and teaching manuals remains a central component of UNICEF’s support for Back to School. Training on peace building, psychosocial support and pedagogy of large groups are included in Ministry of Education’ strategy. SMART methodology nutrition surveys are nearing completion in all regions of southern Mali, with results expected to be made available in September. A donor conference in Bamako is being planned for mid-September, and will follow-up the progress made since the donors’ conference in Brussels in May. UNICEF requires $91.9 million to provide urgent assistance to children in Mali. So far, only $32.7 million or 36 per cent of the required funding has been received. The sectors that are most under-funded are WASH and Child Protection, requiring $17.7 million and $7.1 million respectively. (See page 14 of this report for details on funding needs for all sectors) 1 Mali Situation at a Glance Total population (census 2009) 1 14,528,662 Children under 18 (census 2009) 7,453,080 Children Under 5 (census 2009) 3,114,000 Children Under Five with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)2 210,000 Children Under Five with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM)2 450,000 Internally Displaced Population 3 342,033 4 Refugees in Neighbouring countries 175,282 Number of Separated/Unaccompanied Children registered Dec 2012- 1,536 Feb 2013 (verified) 5 (Of which 142 non-accompanied) Number of gender-based violence cases reported (as of 11 July)6 1,497 Number of mine/ UXO victims 2012-2013 7 78 1 The National Institute of Statistics undertook a review of the national population in May 2013, based upon growth estimates from the 2009 census – age groups were not disaggregated in this revision. 2Cluster Nutrition, June 2012 CAP, based upon data from the June 2011 SMART survey; 3Population Movement Commission estimates; 25 July. 4UNHCR 22 August. A total number of 46 refugees in Guinea and Togo are included in overall number reported by UNHCR. 5 As a result of verification conducted this month, the number has reduced as of 26 July. 6 40 child victims including 6 child deaths; 17 victims in 2013. Reporting mechanism coordinated with UNMAS and Handicap International. This figure is unchanged from June. 7These are cases of GBV identified by UNICEF implementing partners only. 2 UPDATE OF THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION Five more children formally associated with armed groups or forces were released from the central prison in Bamako and handed over to UNICEF by the National Directorate of Child Protection (DNDE). The children, who had been in the adult prison for over a month were released following advocacy efforts by UNICEF and partners and are now receiving care at an institution established specifically for the care of such children and run by UNICEF partner InterSos. UNICEF has provided funding for a second site where additional children formally associated with armed groups or forces can receive care. According to the Education Cluster, 580 primary schools and 8 secondary schools are currently implementing catch-up classes out of a total of 1,042 schools in the regions of Gao and Timbuktu. An estimated 115,111 students are being taught by 2,763 teachers in these schools. To date, thirty-two per cent of students and forty-three per cent of teachers in Gao and Timbuktu are in need of support through provision of teaching and learning materials. Sixty-eight per cent of teachers currently teaching in the north are in need of teacher training on thematic issues relevant to education in emergencies as to ensure that conflict-affected children in the north are able to appropriately complete the accelerated learning program currently being implemented in schools in the north. UNICEF, the government and NGO partners celebrated Global Breastfeeding Week this month, with a ceremony in Koulikoro on the theme of "Supporting breastfeeding alongside mothers” which included the participation of the government, the UNICEF Representative and nutrition partners. Approximately 11,300 people in Kidal and Ségou were affected by flooding between 10 and 12 August. This was the first instance this year that the flood response mechanism, established by the Malian Civil Protection with support from UNICEF and partners ACTED and Solidarités International, has been implemented. In Ségou, where 10,700 people were affected, the Civil Protection conducted two rapid assessments and in response was able to provide 100 kits with cooking sets, shelter materials, and hygiene products to 600 of the most vulnerable, flood-affected people. In Kidal, Solidarités International conducted rapid assessments and provided 490 people who lost their homes with 70 water treatment and hygiene kits provided by UNICEF. Flooding also occurred in Bamako on 28 August, with 34 deaths reported and at least 300 families made homeless according to the Civil Protection. A coordination system established by the Civil Protection and supported by UNICEF was activated. UNICEF provided WASH supplies, including soap, jerry cans and 500 each of buckets, mats, blankets and boxes of aquatabs. Early in August UNICEF conducted a training in Bamako with the Civil Protection on rapid assessment and response in the instance of flooding. Reports that IDPs continue to return to their places of origin in northern Mali appear to be confirmed by evaluations carried out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in coordination with government actors. Some 137,000 people are thought to have returned to Timbuktu and Gao to date. Food security is of concern, according to preliminary results of the survey on food security in emergencies in northern Mali conducted by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Some 90 per cent of households surveyed reported having used crisis strategies to meet their food security needs. In the past month, two incidents involving unexploded ordinances (UXO) and four child casualties were reported in Gossi (in Timbuktu region) and in Diabaly (in Ségou region). One of the victims died from injuries sustained. This month 416 survivors of GBV of whom 343 female and 73 male have been identified amongst IDPs in Mopti, Koulikoro, Kayes regions and Bamako district. Twenty four of them have been survivors of sexual assault, while 50 survivors of physical violence were reported and 113 cases of psychological violence were reported. The remaining cases range from verbal aggressions to early and forced marriages. Some 141 cases have benefited of medical support and 158 received psychosocial support from protection actors. INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION UNICEF is working with all UN agencies in Mali to develop an Early Recovery strategy. This development of this strategy has initially focussed on the revitalisation of basic social services (health, nutrition, education and WASH) in the conflict-affected North and cercles of Mopti. However the 3 intention is to focus on Early Recovery interventions nationwide and providing assistance for vulnerable populations whether or not they were displaced following the conflict. UNICEF and other partners in the health sector are working together with the government to develop an action plan that will support the Regional Directorate of Health in Timbuktu in the recovery of nutritional and health services. A joint mission conducted by the UNICEF-led health, nutrition and WASH clusters took place in Timbuktu in support of the establishment of coordination and information management mechanism in the region. A mission conducted by the Child Protection cluster was also completed in Mopti this month. In 2013 UNICEF in Mali has signed partnership agreements with 36 organisations and has 11 new agreements with NGOs in the pipeline. UNICEF has signed partnership agreements (both development and emergency) amounting to $23 million. UNICEF also works with government institutions to finance activities and supplies. UNICEF Mali Partner NGOs in 2013 ACF, ACTED, Aga Khan, Alima – AMCP, Alima Nord, AMSOPT, ARCAS, ARDIL, ASDAP, AVSF, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, COMADE, Croix Rouge Francais, Danish Refugee Council, ENDA/ BNCE, Family Care International, Handicap International, IMC, InterSOS, IRC, MDM- Belgique, MDM-France, Oxfam-GB, Plan International, Protos, RECOTRADE, SamuSocial, Save the Children, Sini Sanuman, SNV, Solidarités International, Tagne, Terres des Hommes, URTEL, Ya-G-Tu CONFLICT