Cameroon Humanitarian Situation Report No. 11 Reporting Period: November 1 - 30, 2020 Situation in Numbers Highlights 2,000,000 • 2020-2021 school year continues to be marked by an alarming spike in children in need of humanitarian attacks on education in North-West and South-West regions including the assistance (UNICEF HAC 2020) killing and injuring of students and education authorities and kidnapping 6,200,000 of students. The situation has underlined the urgent need for people in need implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, endorsed by the (HRP June 2020) Republic of Cameroon in 2018, for the protection and wellbeing of children in the country. 409,173 • In the North-West and South-West regions, 15,480 conflict-affected IDPs in the NWSW regions (OCHA people received WASH kits. Similarly, in the Far-North region, 16,768 MSNA, August 2020) conflict and flood-affected population were reached. 360,547 Returnees in the NW/SW • The 3% funds mobilised under the HAC 2020 for the CAR Refugee (OCHA August 2020) Response is insufficient to meet the urgent needs arising from the foreseen displacements of CAR civilians in the Eastern regions of 321,886 IDPs in the Far-North Cameroon. (OIM, June 2020) • In total, as of 30 November, UNICEF had received only 26% of funding for 123,489 Returnees in the its humanitarian response. Far-North (IOM, June 2020) UNICEF’s Response and Funding UNICEF Appeal 2020 Status SAM admissions 91% Funding Status (in US$) * Nutrition Funding status 8% * Requirement: $45.5m Measles vaccination 17% Available $12m (26%) Health Funding status 19% Safe water access 46% WASH Funding status 47% Carry- forward MHPSS access 68% US$ 3.4 M Child Funding status 34% Funds Protection received US$ 8.4M Education access 100% Funding status 7% Funding gap Education US$ 33.6M 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% *achieved through non-HAC funding sources 1 Funding Overview and Partnerships In 2020, UNICEF is appealing for US$ 45,445,000 in support of lifesaving and protection-based response for children and women affected by humanitarian crises in Cameroon. As of 30 November, UNICEF has received US$ 8,451,445 against this humanitarian requirement from the following donors: Japanese government, Swedish SIDA, UN CERF, ECHO, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). UNICEF expresses its continuing appreciation to these donors for their support. However, the 80% shortfall continues to seriously limit program response; lack of funding is requiring ‘double-hatting’ of several cluster coordination positions and M&E colleagues replacing absent IMOs, and a shift to increasing use of UN Volunteers in place of staff positions.1 Earlier this year, in May, UNICEF issued a ‘Donor Alert’ to Yaounde embassies and donor representatives highlighting critical need of life-saving and protection-based activities to be implemented over the next five months (May-Sept) for displaced, refugee and returnee and host community children, and for which $10,608,000 was urgently required. Vital activities have been curtailed for lack of funding including measles vaccination, access to lifesaving essential drugs, support for safe water and sanitation and mental health and psychosocial services. The impact of underfunding is further noted in the sector progress reports below. In November 2020, UNICEF established short term humanitarian interventions with LUKMEF for protection response and the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board Cameroon for WASH for in the North-West and South-West regions, ADRA for education response in East and Adamaoua regions for a total value of US $ 515,463. Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs The onset in early March of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon introduced new threats to children and vulnerable communities with humanitarian response immediately complicated by restrictions on group events and movement. An additional 2.3 million people were estimated to need humanitarian assistance due to the impact of COVID-19, bringing the total number of people in need from 3.9 million prior to the COVID-19 outbreak to 6.2 million. This was reflected in the updated Cameroon HRP, issued in early June. The requirement includes over 3 million children in need of urgent humanitarian aid because of violence and conflict, disease outbreaks including measles, cholera, and the COVID-19 pandemic. See table on COVID-19 case reporting below. Source: WHO Violent clashes between government forces and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) in the North-West and South-West regions remained a root cause for population displacement. As of November 2020, according to OCHA, 4,749 newly displaced persons fled across both regions, in majority to the North-West (3,882 – 82%) and few to neighbouring regions. While the overall conflict-affected population presents urgent needs and has limited access to basic services, the volatile insecurity (abduction, killings, clashes, IEDs, ghost days and roadblocks) still narrows and delays humanitarian reach. In both regions, less than 30% of the schools are operational. Since the NSAGs call against school re-opening, this new academic year is marked by a worsening trend in attack, abduction, robbery and torture affecting students and teachers on school premises or on their way to school. The UN Secretary General, the UNICEF Executive Director and country Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator expressed serious concerns over these incidents, joining the profound shock and denunciations expressed by government officials, some of the opposition groups, and especially people across the country. UNICEF took measures to scale up ongoing child protection activities in Kumba to assist the victims of attacks on school. 1 In parallel, against a COVID-19 response requirement of US$24,007,500 as presented in the UNICEF global COVID-19 HAC, US$16,271,528 has been received. 2 Heavy rains continued to impact the divisions of the Far-North region, especially in Logone et Chari where it damaged and destroyed houses, cultivated areas, roads and bridges while worsening tensions between herders and farmers and further constricting access to services and humanitarian assistance. Notably, the flooding of Kousseri led to the forced displacement of over 1,400 households. In addition, Fotokol hosting 16,500 displaced persons is accessible only through pirogues hindering the delivery of assistance. The compounded effect of the flooding and insecurity renders the humanitarian delivery even more difficult. UNDSS reported continuing high numbers of attacks on civilians in Far North region with 23 deaths and 12 wounded or maimed persons bringing it to a total for the year of 321 killed and another 240 wounded or maimed. The largest number of attacks were reported in Mayo Sava division followed by Mayo Tsanaga with 79% of incidents classified by security specialists as ‘terrorism’ related. This follows a shift from the first half of the year when more attacks were affecting Logone et Chari division at the extreme tip of Far North Region, bordering Lake Chad. Summary Analysis of Response2: Nutrition3 NSAGs’ violence – Lake Chad Basin In the Far-North region, UNICEF worked collaboratively with the Regional Delegation of the Ministry of Public Health and NGO partners ALIMA, HKI, IEDA, ACF, IMC to ensure availability and access for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 366 health centres through the provision of nutrition supplies (RUTF, therapeutic milk, essential drugs) and WASH kits. Over 3,533 children aged 6-59 months including 32 Nigerian refugee children from Minawao camp were admitted to these UNICEF-supported health centres for treatment under the Blueprint Initiative umbrella. Following the community training of mothers on how to detect malnutrition in their children with MUAC tapes and oedema measurements, 9,823 children from 6 to 59 months were screened using this method. In addition, with other methods, 103,484 children from 6 to 59 were screened of which 715 SAM (severe acute malnutrition) cases were detected with 4,353 cases of MAM (moderate acute malnutrition). All were referred for treatment. Also, in Far North Region, in 11 health districts (Guidiguis, Kaele, Karhay, Mada, Makary, Maroua 1,2,3, Moutourwa, Mindif and Mokolo) 67,378 children aged 6-23 months were enrolled in the home- based food fortification program, each receiving a micronutrient powder sachet every other day. North-West/South-West Crisis UNICEF partners4 and the Regional Delegation of the Ministry of Public Health screened 40,594 children (21,109 girls and 19,485 boys) in very hard to reach and peri-urban areas. The children were reached in health facilities and through mobile teams. Among them, 178 (0.4%) were identified with SAM and referred for proper treatment. However, access to in-patient care for SAM treatment remain constrained by medical bills (especially for non-UNICEF supported medicines), insecurity and movement restriction. To ensure the continuity of the nutrition response, UNICEF pre-positioned 3 months’ worth of supplies (RUTF, drugs & therapeutic milk) at regional headquarters in Bamenda and Buea. UNICEF partners also carried out joint sensitisation on COVID-19 and infant and young child feeding practices, reaching 43,744 caregivers (27,114 women and 16,630 men). In addition, 2,012 caregivers were trained on family/mother MUAC approach. Following its performance monitoring (CCPM), the Nutrition Cluster identified preparedness and contingency planning as a capacity in need of major and critical strengthening. Health North-West/South-West Crisis UNICEF supported the Regional Delegation of Public Health to conduct the first round of PIRI during three-days to catch-up children and pregnant women who missed routine vaccination in both regions (Bamenda, Kumba East, Nkambe, Wum, Kumba, Konye and Mamfe). In complement, UNICEF partner CARITAS Bamenda supported the delivery of basic health services to displaced persons and host communities in hard to reach areas in 2 divisions in North-West region (Menchum and Ngo-Ketunjia).