Inter-Agency Rapid Assessment Report Joint mission assessment to LGA of on 25th October 2016.

Happy children pose with OCHA & WFP Staff in Bumsa Introduction Gulani is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, . Its headquarters are in the town of Bara. It has an area of 2,090 km² and a population of 103,510 at the 2006 census ((n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2016.). The assessment team to Gulani LGA which was composed of YOSEMA, OCHA, UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, SEMA, FAO, UNFPA & WOYEIN ( Local NGO) departed Damaturu (the capital of Yobe State) at about 8:14am after a security briefing and explanation of the logistic modalities by the OCHA team leader and mission coordinator. The mission team visited Bara, Bumsa and Bularafa communities of Gulani LGA. The team arrived Bara, the headquarters of Gulani LGA at about 10:50am, where they stopped to visit the representative of the community. The team informed him about the mission’s objective and purpose in his community. This visit was replicated in Bumsa and Bularafa communities respectively. The team returned back to WFP/OCHA office in Damaturu at 16:30hrs, after departing at 8.15hrs from GAAT Hotel Damaturu.

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OVERVIEW OF BARA, BUMSA & BULARAFA OF GULANI LGA

BARA  The representative of the village head told the team that the community had existed for about 885 years with a population of about 10,000; their ethnic tribe is Maga. The community has about 1,300 households among which about 1,000 households have returned and 300 are yet to return.  An estimated population on ground that has returned is about 7,000, which represent 80% of the population before displacement.  Bara community was first displaced on 28th August 2014 while the habitat returned to their community after 6 months and were further displaced for a second time on 28th October, 2015 to return in April 2016 after liberation of the community by the military.  The habitats of Bara community are predominantly peasant farmers. Only few are paid workers and virtually all families depend on farming activities for their sustainability.

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BUMSA  The assessment team proceeded to Bumsa where the representative of the village head attended to the mission team due to the absent of the village head. During interaction the team was informed that the community existed for 110 years with a common ethnic tribe of Babur.  They have a population of about 20,000 with about 8,000 households. The community experienced Boko-Haram attacks and displacement on the 15th May, 2014 and they were able to return in June 2016.  It was also reported that the major economic activity of the community is farming.

BULARAFA  Bularafa, a community that consists of a population of 13,814 with a total of about 3,860 households; they speak a common tribe of Babur.  Bularafa was attacked and forced to displacement on 13th Sept, 2014. On record only one person was shot in the leg. After displacement they returned when the community was liberated by the military in May 2016.

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OBJECTIVE The overall objective of the joint assessment mission was to ascertain the level of vulnerability and to look into specific areas, such as education, food security, protection, food security, nutrition and WASH in the liberated areas of Gulani LGA. Another goal was to inform the humanitarian community and the stakeholders on key areas of strategic priorities and to orient their strategy response through evidence- based decision making. METHODOLOGY The assessment team was divided in pairs by similar areas of interest. (UNICEF protection and WFP nutrition, WFP supply chain, FAO and UNICEF child protection, UNICEF education with UNHCR and UNFPA were also paired to have interaction through interviews with some community members. General observation of the physical conditions of the affected communities, markets, shelters, sanitation conditions etc. as well as physical visits to Health, WASH, Educational facilities and the local market. Secondary data were also obtained from the community leaders who remained in the community before and after the insurgency. LIMITATION Time was limited to organize proper assessment in the entire three wards, as the team were limited to one hour per ward. It is suggested to plan for two sites, if the mission is only one day.

The assessment findings are specific to the locations visited in Bumsa, Bularafa and Bumsa and Gulani might not necessarily reflect the situation in the other wards /towns and villages in the LGA which are not yet assessed. There may, however, be similarities in food security and nutrition situation and gaps in WASH, health, shelter/NFIs, and education services as all infrastructures in the LGA were destroyed during the conflict. The findings may be triangulated with findings in other recent assessments conducted by WFP through a third party and also by SEMA. Critical Needs Overview  Food Security: Need for food intervention for the coming (3) months.  Education: Urgent need for trained teachers, teaching and learning materials to be ensured  Protection: Households are reported taking turns and sharing basic personal and household utensils. They have returned to a very challenging existence requiring urgent interventions to meet their shelter needs. The children in these communities are in dire need of urgent psychological support.  Health and Nutrition: Increase health infrastructural facilities and improve man power capacity as well as arrest urgent cases of malnutrition.  WASH: Upgrading of existing Water Points in the 3 Communities, Construction of VIP Latrines in public places. To conduct CLTS and mass Hygiene Promotion activities

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GENERAL FINDINGS  It was discovered that 70-80% of the population have returned to their communities after 5-6 months.  Farming accounts for 80% of occupation in these communities.  Returnees expect more population to arrive (the remaining 20-30%) are said to still be residing in neighboring LGAs and are expected back soon.  There are approximately above 10,000 people in each community visited.  Security seems fluid since their return (5-6 months) however local armed (riffle and machete) volunteer vigilance is visible along the streets in markets within the community.  Millet and Sorghum crops were seen along the road with harvest set to commence in 2-3 months.  Total population appears to be food insecure (nutrition to develop subject) especially on this lean season.  Highly malnourished children are physically seen.  Children are still traumatized especially at night when they hear loud sounds.  Markets and businesses are not yet 100% functional compared to Buni yadi.  There is no much traffic seen (commercial trucks and public transport) in and out of Gulani compared to the length between Maiduguri and Buni Yadi. This may be due to the fact that the major market in Gulani based in Bumsa operates only on Mondays.

Assessment by Sectors

Protection

 On the whole, the interactions revealed that a substantial number of the IDPs / Returnees had been displaced for well over 3 years on the average. Most households had their property destroyed and looted when they were in flight and have returned to a very challenging existence requiring urgent interventions to meet their shelter needs.  Across all three communities, a common challenge faced by households is the absence of basic utensils for normal domestic usage. Households are reported taking turns and sharing basic personal and household utensils.  In Bularafa and Bumsa communities, the IDPs / Returnees have reported feeling of lack of safety as a result of the absence of security personnel such as the police and military in the community. The community has however resorted to the use of vigilantes to improve their physical safety in the community.  IDPs/Returnees report that they are challenged by security agents when they move outside, requesting a means of identification. Most of their personal documents were either destroyed or lost to the insurgency. This hence presents a critical concern for a substantial number of them.  In Bumsa and Barra community, there is a reported number of unaccompanied or separated children who are either orphaned or not living with their biological parents or legal guardians. In

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all 3 communities, there is a reported large number of children involved in street hawking / begging which further increases their vulnerability.  The table blow details the received numbers for persons with specific needs across the 3 communities visited. The data will need to be further triangulated with other sources, and analyzed to inform possible recommendations for humanitarian interventions.  Demographics Obtained (* From Community Leaders)

Community Girls Boys Women Men Elderly >60 Source <18yrs <18yrs (18-59yrs) (18-59yrs) BARA 4005 3400 2018 1000 705 Community Leader BUMSA 3700 4000 4800 2000 400 Community Leader BULARAFA 3000 4000 3500 3000 300 Community Leader

S/N Persons with specific needs in Bara Community Numbers

1 Children below 18 years (not living with parent or 158 guardian) 2 Orphans with both parent dead 142 3 Children involve in street hawking/begging 500 4 Pregnant or lactating women 1480 5 Single elderly in need of assistance 215 6 Elderly unable to care for themselves 300 7 Persons with serious medical condition 512 8 Persons with mental illness 15 9 Persons with severe physical disability 26 10 SGBV issues 0

S/N Persons with specific needs in Bumsa Community Numbers

1 Children below 18 years (not living with parent or guardian) 41

2 Orphans with both parent dead 28

3 Children involved in street hawking/begging 420

4 Pregnant or lactating women 810

5 Single elderly in need of assistance 70

6 Elderly unable to care for themselves 208

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7 Persons with serious medical condition 0

8 Persons with mental illness 31

9 Persons with physical disability 39

10 Early and forced marriage 2

11 Early pregnancy and adolescent parent 62 12 Female headed households 50 13 SGBV issues 0

S/N PERSON WITH SPECIFIC NEES IN BULARAFA TOTAL NO IN COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

1 Children below 18 years (not living with parent or guardian) 1

2 Orphans with both parent dead 0

3 Children involve in street hawking/begging 1500

4 Pregnant or lactating women 2800

5 Single elderly in need of assistance 218

5 Elderly unable to care for themselves 182

6 Persons with serious medical condition 0

7 Persons with mental illness 0

8 Persons with severe physical disability 62

9 Early pregnancy / adolescent 200 10 SGBV issues 0

Child protection

BARA  During interaction with community members it was noted that the average family consists of 5 to 10 children since most family settings are polygamous. The estimated population of children aged 0 – 17 in Bara at the moment is around 5,000.  According to some testimonies by school teachers and community members, it has been observed that most time when children are in the classroom and hear strange movements, they will run out through any possible opening for safety. This persists even within the community.

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 It was also said that most families noticed children having difficulties when it is dark, thus need for structural activities with children to be able to recover from the negative experience of invasion of Bara.  Another information gathered from the community members, is that after the invasion by Boko Haram that left about 50 people dead, great fear had been planted in the minds of most children in the community.

BUMSA:  Among the estimated number of the population there are around 8,000 children aged 0-17; the remaining are adults. The community leader expressed that during the insurgent attacks, the community lost 50 members and 10 were reported to have been abducted.  The fear of the uncertainty continues to frighten children, which is why the community requested for intervention in the children as follows 1. Mental health assessment 2. School fence 3. Play material for children 4. Introduce structured counseling session

Bularafa :  According to the estimation of the village head, about 8,000 children are aged 0-17. From his narration almost all the children are in formal or informal schools. Despite the community liberation there still persist serious fear in the mind of the children, especially when they hear the sound of patrol jets flying over the community. Conclusion:  From the findings above, children need to be supported very effectively to be able to develop resilience to enable them focus on their sturdy development and mental wellbeing. From the expression received from the parents, it tells how much stress the children have developed and how urgently they need quick intervention.

Education

 The main objective of the assessment mission was to assess the current education situation in the returning communities of Bara, Bumsa and Bularafa to identify the gaps in Educational activities.  The outcome of the assessment shall inform the Yobe Education in Emergencies Working Group (EIEWG) and key stakeholders on priority areas with an evidence-based result response.  Physical observation of structures/pupils/children in classes and school records and discussions with head teachers.  The team visited three schools, one each in Bara, Bumsa and Bularafa wards of Gulani LGA to assess/observe and gather key information on schools functioning and identified the gaps.

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Findings:  All the 3 primary schools visited have a JSS Section.  All the schools had furniture, except the JS section of primary school in Bumsa.  All the schools had inadequate teaching and learning materials.  In all the schools visited, open defecation is practiced as there are no latrine facilities. The two facilities which were in Bumsa were in very bad condition.  A borehole has been drilled in Bara which is ready to use. One new borehole is being drilled in Bumsa. There was no water facility in the visited school in Bularafa.  The JSS section of the school in Bularafa had been renovated under the PINE (President Initiative for the North East) project.  The JSS section in Bumsa is completely destroyed and some of the students learn under the trees and some use classes in the primary section which is inadequate.  None of the teachers in these schools have ever been trained in Psycho-social support, Pedagogy and Disaster Risk Reduction.  All the schools have engaged the services of volunteer teachers because there is no sufficient number of teachers available.  None of the schools have received any supplies from UNICEF, except TLS (Tents) 1 in Bara, 1 in Bumsa and 1 in Bularafa.  A block of two classrooms in Bara was completely destroyed.  5 classes in Bumsa primary school were partially destroyed and 3 Blocks of 3 classrooms on the JSS side were completely destroyed.

PUPILS/STUDENT’S ENROLLMENT IN PRIMARY SECTION ON THE DAY OF VISIT S.No Name of School Ward Enrolment Total Enrolment Male Female 1. Bara Primary School Bara 424 361 785 2. Bumsa Primary School Bumsa 166 223 389 3. Bularafa Primary Bularafa 330 400 730 School Total 920 984 1,904

PUPILS/STUDENT’S ENROLLMENT IN the JSS SECTION ON THE DAY OF VISIT S.No Name of School Ward Enrolment Total Enrolment Male Female 1. Bara Primary School Bara 36 28 64 2. Bumsa Primary School Bumsa 70 30 100 3. Bularafa Primary Bularafa 96 189 285 School Total 202 247 449

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Critical Needs Interventions  Most of the schools are using volunteer teachers who are not trained teachers and at times not able to teach properly. They need to employ more trained teachers for imparting proper education to the children.  There is an urgent need for teachers training as all the present teachers have had no professional training in Psycho-social support, pedagogy skills and or Disaster Risk Reduction.  The destroyed classrooms need to be rehabilitated in order to accommodate all the children in the class rooms.  Need to construct/rehabilitate the toilets in all the schools. Water points also need to be established in all the schools.

Conclusion In order to have a meaningful and result-oriented learning in these schools, the critical gaps and needs have to be addressed. As a matter of paramount importance, availability of trained teachers and teaching and learning materials have to be ensured on urgent basis.

Food Security

 Food Security is a great concern in Gulani LGA. Cash transfers would not solve the food security problem because commercial trucks do not bring food to the Local Government Area.  Fields of sorghum are seen on the road and the harvest should be ready in two months.  According to Bularafa and Bumsa community members, they applied for loans during the last 2 years when they lived as IDPS. Most of the income from the next harvest will be be used to offset these loans.  Prices of commodities have increased a lot compared to what was obtainable before the crisis. Prices have also gone up as compared to the prices in July 2016.

Market:  The market in all the 3 communities is just picking up and as the harvest time is just starting, the major food crops are available in the market but the prices are still high for Sorghum, millet Rice, sesame, ground nut, beans and Maize.  Food consumption is still low as prices are high and still the 3 communities are yet to harvest sorghum which is the major crop grown.

Food Situation  All the 3 communities visited were in lean period of the season as such there is need for food interventions for the next 2 months as confirmed by the community leaders.  As of now the cooping strategy adopted for food is that people are borrowing from the food vendors and later pay back as narrated by the village head of Bumsa town.

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 Generally it has been agreed that there will be bumper harvest this season and will be okay for a certain period of months.

Food Availability  Right food will be available from what we have seen, but the food consumption will be affected due to the following reasons  Farmers will need sell harvest to offset loans  Residents do not have other sources of income  More Returnees expected especially in Bara and Bumsa town.  Farmers will sell harvest in order to perform social activities.

Recommendations There is need for livelihood support, more especially for the youth and women, especially in petty hand jobs like tailoring, cap making, carpentering, local spaghetti making etc.

Limitations  Erosion is visibly seen as we drive along the major road.  There are no telephone networks existing in these locations, so therefore CBT would be a huge challenge.

WASH

Long queue for water is seen at Bularafa

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION Objective:  The main objective of the rapid assessment was to assess the current WASH services in the returning Communities of Bara, Bumsa and Bularafa identifying the needs and gaps in water, sanitation and hygiene promotion with priorities.  The outcome of the current assessment shall inform the Yobe’s WASH working group and the key Stakeholders on the areas of priorities and orient their strategy response through evidence-based decision making. Methodology:  Physical observation and counting of WASH infrastructures  Interview: Focus group discussion and interview with returnees and Facility Caretakers, Preference was also given to girls of child bearing age and small children mostly involved in water collection, hygiene and sanitation situation in the communities. Assessment result:

Communities population before the Insurgency Community Approximate Total Approximate Population Population prior to of returnees Conflict Bara 11,000 9,000

Bumsa 15,000 11,500 Bularafa 13,000 10,000

TOTAL 39,000 30,500

Access to Water

Community Approximate Motorized / Single WASH Total No. of Total No. of Functional Total Solar phase Borehole Water Sources Water Sources Population Borehole borehole Bara 9,000 3 1 1 5 3

Bumsa 11,500 2 2 0 4 5

Bularafa 10,000 4 1 0 5 3

TOTAL 30,500 15 3 8 14 11

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Findings :  There are 14 protected water sources in the three communities visited with over 50 Concrete lined and hand dug wells in Bumsa Community.  11 of the 14 water sources are functional but not serving the purpose due to underutilization.  The Local Government provides about 100 liters of diesel to power the Generating Set but crossly inadequate.  Bara community has more pipeline reticulation up to house level compared to Bumsa and Bularafa Communities.  An average of 100 liters of diesel is provided to the functional borehole each month.  No member of the three visited communities pays for Water.  Drilling and installation of 6 solar boreholes in 3 schools and 3 Health Centers on going.  The diesel given to the boreholes serve between 3 to 4 hours.

Main priorities:  Most of the Water facilities are not utilized appropriately due to the number of hours they spend working, there is the need to convert the motorized Boreholes to Solar powered which will be less costly as compared to motorized boreholes.  Disinfection of all Water points including the Cement wells in all the 3 locations assessed.  Expand water distribution pipe network in all the communities  Improve water quality in all communities and implementation of Water safety Plans.

Sanitation  Almost all the public places in all the three Communities have no Latrines.  Household Latrines coverage in all the Communities is very poor as open defecation is widely practiced in all the three Communities.  All Schools and Health Centers don’t have Latrines.  Temporary VIP Latrines have been approved by UNICEF in some of the Schools and Health Centers

Main priorities:  Adequate CLTS to be implemented in the three communities.  Need to construct some public latrines in public places (Mosques, Markets and Parks) in the 3 communities.  Latrines needed in all the Schools and Health Centers

Hygiene Promotion / NFIs  Hygiene Promotion was never conducted in all the Communities visited.  Water storage capacity per person per day seems insufficient in most of the communities. The recommended standards indicator of 10 liters storage capacity per person.  No NFI’s have been distributed among the returnees.  Scaling up of adequate and constant hygiene promotion in all the communities.  Conduct a comprehensive Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) survey on hygiene among the returning population.  Adequate distribution of NFIs (dignity kits, soap, buckets, jerry cans etc) should target most of the returning population.

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NUTRITION/HEALTH

 There are few Health care outreach centres providing skeletal Health services, thus it is possible to organize distributions of nutritious foods to PLWs through the same medium.  Screening for malnutrition are organized at health facility and treatment is done by health staff (health assistants) supported by UNICEF.  The team is well trained and outreach activities are organized. While SAM children are given Plumpy Sup, children with moderate acute receive only counselling for good nutrition. However children do not improve as the care takers do not have adequate food as advised.

Bara:  The capital of Gulani LGA, has 2 health facilities, one is a primary health center and the other is a temporary dispensary unit. Both centers are dilapidated and vandalized, there are few human resources which are non-technical, one nurse and two midwives who were recently posted (supported by UNFPA) however at the time visited, none of them were around.  Most of the deliveries are conducted at home unattended and the few presented at the PHC are attended by unskilled supporting staffs.  YSPHCM in collaboration with UNICEF support dedicated outreach through the Health Centers to provide skeletal general Health services but are not very sufficient.  Malnutrition rates are very high, estimated at 40-50% in Bara LGA. According to health professionals, pregnant and lactating mothers are also malnourished, even the fathers. At the health facility, we met a high number of children who came for SAM follow up (139 cases under follow up) and some are in critical conditions, see attached pictures taken during the visit.  The two centres are managed by community outreach health workers posted by UNICEF. The clinic is currently supported by UNICEF. The building is in poor shape and services provided are inadequate.  From engagement with community members, it was noted that children also express difficulty in feeding resulting to children emaciating.  UNICEF is actively seen at the health facility providing food supplements. Though health system is functioning, there is a need for support in staffing. Team met a mission from W.H.O that came to support temporarily with health activities in Bara ward.

BUMSA (SAME AS BARA  Psychosocial support is only given to intermittent cases of traumatized individuals, most of which are children and pregnant women in Bumsa.

BULARAFA:  There are no cases of GBV reported in all the three communities.  Though there four Health Facilities only one is functioning skeletally.

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Actions to be taken:  Scale up Antenatal Care services  Capacity building on Emergency Obstetric care and MCH care services  Renovation and equipping existing Health facilities  Sensitization of Reproductive Health services among all the general population

Photo showing malnourished boy in Bara health center

Destroyed Health Care Center in Bara

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