Cameroon Humanitarian Situation Report
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Cameroon Humanitarian Situation Report SITUATION IN NUMBERS Highlights • From 25-27 April, Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director April 2018 for West and Central Africa Region visited projects in the Far North and East regions to evaluate the humanitarian situation 1,810,000 # of children in need of humanitarian and advocated for the priorities for children, including birth assistance registrations. 3,260,000 • UNHCR and UNICEF with support of WFP donated 30 tons of non- # of people in need (Cameroon Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018) food items including soaps to be distributed in Mamfe and Kumba sub-divisions in South West region for estimated 23,000 people Displacement affected by the Anglophone crisis. 241,000 • As part of the development of an exit strategy for Temporary #of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) (Displacement Tracking Matrix 12, Dec 2017) Learning and Protective Spaces (TLPSs), a joint mission was 69,700 conducted to verify the situation of 87 TLPSs at six refugee sites # of Returnees and host community schools in East and Adamaoua regions. The (Displacement Tracking Matrix 12, Dec 2017) 93,100 challenge identified is how to accommodate 11,314 children who # of Nigerian Refugees in rural areas are currently enrolled in the TLPSs into only 11 host community (UNHCR Cameroon Fact Sheet, April 2018) 238,700 schools, with additional 7,325 children (both IDPs and host # of CAR Refugees in East, Adamaoua and community) expected to reach the school age in 2018. North regions in rural areas (UNHCR Cameroon Fact Sheet, April 2018) UNICEF’s Response with Partners UNICEF Appeal 2018 Sector UNICEF US$ 25.4 million Sector Total UNICEF Total Target Results* Target Results* Carry-over WASH : People provided with 528,000 8,907 75,000 8,907 US$ 2.1 m access to appropriate sanitation Funds Education: School-aged children 4- received 17, including adolescents, accessing 411,000 11,314 280,000 11,314 US$ 1.8 m education in a safe and protective learning environment. Nutrition : Number of children aged Funding 6-59 months with SAM admitted 38,646 12,181 40,482 12,613 for treatment requirement Child Protection : Children reached US$ 25.4m with psychosocial support through 61,691 85,000 13,094 child friendly/safe spaces (girls and boys) Funding gap C4D : Persons reached with US$ 21.5 m information about WASH / health / nutrition / education services (behavior/best practices) through 235,913 138,911 community-based social mobilization and/or outreach activities *Total results are all cumulative Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs Based on the inter-agency assessment conducted from 25-30 March, Emergency Response Plan for North West and South West Regions is being developed under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator supported by UNOCHA. In addition to some 40,000 IDPs identified at the time of assessment mission, the additional information provided by local NGOs and churches as well as other information from the health districts brought up the total estimated people in need to 160,000 (150,000 for South West, 10,000 for North West). UNICEF coordinated the sectors and developed response plans for WASH and Education, while contributed to the response plans for Health and Protection sectors. A total of four projects have been submitted under WASH, Education, Health and Protection. Meanwhile, the initial distribution of 30 tons of non-food items consisting of blankets, mattress and soaps was completed with the support of churches in Mamfe and Kumba sub-divisions, South West region, to which UNICEF contributed 1,100 cartons of soap covering the needs of estimated 23,000 people for two months. At Zamai site, Far North region, where some 1,700 people consisting of IDPs and returnees from Nigeria are hosted, low productivity of existing boreholes remains an issue, exacerbated by the pressure imposed by the IDPs and returnees and the host populations. The scabies outbreak adds additional challenge to the residents of this site. In this regard, UNICEF has provided the Regional Health Delegate with 100 litres of Ascabiol to treat this infectious skin disease. As the scabies are related to poor hygiene practices, hygiene promotion activities are planned in May. At the IDPs site in Kolofata, Far North region, UNICEF is in the process of identifying an enterprise to build sustainable infrastructure for drinking water supply. However UNICEF faces a challenge in attracting an enterprise to realise the borehole construction, most likely due to insecurity in the area. Needs assessments were conducted by UNICEF in different locations of Mayo Sava and Logone and Chari departments (Makari, Blangoua, Goulfey) in Far North region. Makari was selected due to the presence of a great number of returnees, and Blangoua and Goulfey are at the border area with Chad where UNICEF is implementing a peacebuilding project with UNDP, thus the mission was to evaluate other humanitarian needs for IDPs and returnees. The assessment report is being developed and the preliminary findings indicate strong needs in water, education, child protection for IDPs, returnees and host populations. With the resurgence of violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), 107 asylum-seekers, majority of them women and children of Christian faith from Bangui and its surroundings fearing reprisal attacks by an armed group, were escorted by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to Garoua-Boulai in East region. Asylum seekers informed the authorities that more are expected to arrive. As part of the development of an exit plan for Temporary Learning and Protective Spaces (TLPSs) set up in 2014 to cater to the needs of refugee children during their massive influx in East and Adamaoua regions, UNICEF in collaboration with Ministry of Basic Education, UNHCR and NGO partners carried out a joint field mission to assess the situation at the 87 TLPSs in six refugee sites. This mission involved a comparative analysis between the needs related to the transfer of students from TLPSs to schools in the host communities for the next school year and the capacity of these schools in terms of teachers and infrastructure (including water and sanitation facilities), equipment, materials and school supplies. The results of the evaluation as well as the budget for the exit plan will be available in May. The assessment revealed the need to transfer 11,314 students from TLPSs to only 11 host schools that are already overwhelmed by 7,038 students who are currently enrolled, and moreover are expecting about 7,325 refugee and host community children who will reach the school age in 2018. This is quite challenging but critical transition given the need for more sustainability and enhanced resilience of the host communities. Estimated Population in Need of Humanitarian Assistance *Cameroon Humanitarian Needs Overview 2018 **SMART Survey 2017 & UNHCR Standardised Expanded Nutrition Survey (SENS) 2016 Start of humanitarian response: November 2013 Total Male Female Total Population in Need* 3,260,000 1,610,000 1,650,000 Children (Under 18)* 1,810,000 915,000 896,000 Children Under Five** 523,000 258,000 265,000 Children 6 to 23 months** 163,000 80,500 82,500 Malnourished Pregnant and 18,000 - 18,000 lactating women** Humanitarian Leadership and Coordination • The Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator leads the overall humanitarian coordination, supported by OCHA. • At the national level, UNICEF and the Government are co-leading the nutrition, WASH and education sectors, as well as the sub-sectoral group for child protection. • At the field level, UNHCR leads inter-sector coordination, which addresses particularly challenges and gaps both for refugees, IDPs and host communities in the Far North. This extends into the coordination of the humanitarian response to the Central African Republic refugee crisis in the regions of the East and Adamawa. UNHCR organizes monthly meetings with other humanitarian actors, to consolidate data and harmonize interventions. Humanitarian Strategy UNICEF’s integrated programme is based on four pillars: building a protective environment and supporting community peacebuilding; preventing and responding to the violent exploitation of children; increasing access to basic services; and strengthening emergency preparedness and response systems. All four pillars bridge the humanitarian-development nexus and foster community resilience to outside pressures, such as conflict or population displacement, while supporting the State to anticipate and respond to shocks. UNICEF aims at strengthening collaboration between community-based structures and government services to provide care and protection to children, particularly the most marginalized. By supporting community dialogue mechanisms, inter-generational dialogue and non-violent relationships among peers, UNICEF works to foster social cohesion, giving children a voice and rebuilding community linkages. Recognizing that lack of access to basic services exposes children to vulnerabilities, UNICEF supports the Government to strengthen the quality of service delivery at the community level by training community workers and establishing needed infrastructure, improving access to water and sanitation in schools and health centres, developing community health mechanisms and improving the quality of education. Furthermore, UNICEF is working with non- governmental organizations and other partners to implement mechanisms for monitoring and responding to emergencies