Yobe State Weekly Situation Report No
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Nigeria: Yobe State Weekly Situation Report No. 4 28 June 2021 This report is compiled by OCHA Nigeria in collaboration with humanitarian partners. Calculation of IDPs does not include recent displacements from Geidam and Yunusari LGAs. Government estimates that about 54,000 IDPs from the two LGAs are still in the places of displacement across 11 LGAs in Yobe while an estimated 126,000 people have returned. HIGHLIGHTS • Armed fighters loot food, non-food items (NFIs), and other critical supplies from partner-run nutrition and empowerment facilities in Gujba LGA. • Government and partners ramp up response as cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) climbs to 24, including four fatalities in Gadine community, Bursari LGA. • Government health team visits Yobe to collate data on age-stratified COVID-19 seroprevalence. SITUATION OVERVIEW Two critical aid facilities including a nutrition stabilization center and women’s protection/empowerment unit – both run by an INGO partner – were directly targeted by suspected non-state armed group (NSAG) operatives in Gujba town, Gujba LGA during the week. The nutrition stabilization center was hosting some 38 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) at the time of the attack on 17 June. Although staff managed to escape with all the sick children unhurt, vital supplies including food, NFIs, water hygiene and sanitation (WASH) kits and lighting equipment were looted from the facility. Sewing machines and other equipment stockpiled to support vulnerable women were also stolen from a women’s empowerment facility in the same location during the attack. It was the second attack directly targeting the nutrition stabilization facility this year as partners continue to contend with an insecure operating context to sustain critical services to affected and vulnerable populations in the state. Following the reports of AWD cases in Gadine community, Bursari LGA, which climbed to 24 including four fatalities as of 15 June, government and partners led by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) and UNICEF rolled out response activities reaching some 454 households (2,094 people). Vital WASH supplies including soaps and aqua tabs were distributed across vulnerable households who were also reached with messaging on positive hygiene practices. Limited availability of clean water sources/infrastructure and the dilapidated condition of the only functional health facility in Gadine community are among key concerns for increasing the risk of water-borne diseases. A team from the ministerial expert advisory committee (MEAC) of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) visited communities across LGAs in the state during the week to collate data on age-stratified COVID-19 seroprevalence, as part of ongoing national efforts across 12 states to understand the spread and impact of the pandemic of different population groups. Initial findings highlighted that assessing the burden of COVID-19 solely on the basis of medically attended cases (where only individuals with disease manifestation or complications resulting from the infection) is inadequate. Consequently, The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to Coordinate the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. www.unocha.org Yobe State Situation Report No. 4 | 2 serosurveys for the detection of antibodies in the general population will provide more credible and accurate estimates of burden of infection and spread of the virus. Preparedness Fifty community volunteers were trained by Action Against Hunger (ACF/AAH) to conduct hygiene promotion activities, water chlorination and decontamination/fumigation programmes across households in Bade and Nguru LGAs as part of efforts to mitigate risks of AWD/cholera outbreaks as the rainy season gathers momentum. Gaps ACF/AAH reported being out of stock of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) across primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Jebuwa, Yusufari, Maimalari, Kumaganam, Tulotulo and Kajimaram communities in Yusufari LGA due to logistical challenges. Some 133 children being treated for SAM are among those directly impacted. ACF/AAH is working to resolve the challenge and generally strengthen logistics systems to ensure timely delivery of critical nutrition supplies to health facilities across the state. Limited telecommunication network coverage in Geidam LGA is impacting efforts by humanitarian partners to remotely follow up and monitor the situation of households returning to communities across Geidam town where about 150,000 people were displaced in late April. Most areas in Geidam and Yunusari LGAs are still inaccessible to UN and INGO staff due to ongoing insecurity. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Early Recovery Response: • Mercy Corps rehabilitated a community townhall and provided 150 three-seater desks for 450 students in Gabai public primary school in Damaturu LGA. • The sector is finalizing plans to conduct an assessment of the condition of returnee populations in Geidam and Kanamma towns. According to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), over two thirds of the population displaced from the two towns in April/May have returned. Emergency Telecommunications Needs: • Partners have requested Emergency Telecommunications Service (ETS) to develop an interactive application to facilitate real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure and enable communities and beneficiaries (including in remote locations) to report key issues for prompt response/resolution. Response: • An ETS team visited Yobe this week to interact with humanitarian partners on the availability of emergency telecommunications services for affected populations. The services include telephone, internet connectivity, complaint and feedback mechanism (CFM), local broadcaster support and customer support. The interaction aimed at identifying general gaps for improvement and support. Food Security Needs: • The Sector highlighted gaps in agricultural extension services in the state due to high turnover of government staff. Most of the experienced workers have retired and are not being replaced. The authorities noted that this is a general challenge and that efforts are ongoing to address the gap. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs www.unocha.org Yobe State Situation Report No. 4 | 3 Response: • Care International, a WFP implementing partner, conducted general food distribution (GFD) in Karasuwa LGA for the month of June. Some 19,768 vulnerable host community households were targeted. This was the first GFD assistance to vulnerable populations in the LGA this year. The GFD programme will run till the end of 2021 Health Needs: • The Rapid Response Team (RRT) headed by the state ministry of health (SMoH) continues to conduct monitoring activities across LGAs to inform immediate action in the event of outbreak of water-borne diseases such as AWD/cholera during the ongoing rainy season. Response: • Plan International conducted a five-day refresher training for 50 health workers from Damaturu, Bursari, Yusufari, Fune and Nguru LGAs on adolescent sexual reproductive health (ASRH) to ensure the delivery of appropriate and quality healthcare services for adolescents. Child Protection Sub-Working Group Needs: • Efforts are needed to trace missing children following the mass displacements in Kannama and Geidam towns in April/May. A multi-sectoral needs assessment (MSNA) conducted in late May indicates a high number of children still missing. About 10% of the 2,691 assessed IDP households reported cases of violence against children including child labour, forced recruitment by armed groups and sexual violence. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Needs: • The onset of the rainy season has raised concerns of the outbreak of water-borne diseases, including AWD/cholera across host communities. Response: • ACF/AAH commenced the rollout of a community-led total sanitation (CLTS) programme targeting 400 households in Nangere LGA to achieve open defecation-free (ODF) sustainability. Open defecation is a major challenge in the LGA where less than 10 per cent of households have latrines. ACF/AAH is adopting the CLTS approach to empower local communities with material and facilitation support to lead the construction of their own latrines. • ACF/AAH conducted water quality testing of 12 water facilities in Nangere LGA to determine potability as part of efforts to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases during the rainy season. WASH/NFI kits comprised of soap, aqua tabs, chlorine, knapsack sprayers and personal protective equipment (PPE) were also delivered to households in Nguru, Bade and Bursari LGAs in coordination with state RRT. • Rehabilitation of four water facilities in Sarkin Hausawa and Lafiyami communities in Bade LGA and Mirwa and Kolle communities in Nguru LGA was completed by ACF/AAH during the week. Coordination • OCHA organized briefing sessions with partners and state government officials on the outcome of the MSNA which was conducted between 24 and 28 May to highlight the situation of IDPs from Geidam and Kanamma across 11 LGAs in Yobe. The briefings aimed at ensuring a common understanding of scale and severity of the situation among all stakeholders to guide the required scale-up and prioritization of response. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs www.unocha.org Yobe State Situation Report No. 4 | 4 Funding Overview