FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 1 Photo: UNICEF THIS ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS: The situation continues to be critical in Liben, Afder, Gode • REGIONAL OVERVIEW and parts of Fik zones, and below normal in the remaining • A HIGHLIGHT ON MARKET ANALYSIS parts of the region. The number of hotspot woredas is • RELIEF FOOD AND NON-FOOD UPDATE increasing (12 out of 32 woredas) with Degehabur, Warder • UPCOMING & ONGOING MEETINGS and parts of Shinile now considered as seriously affected. Meanwhile, a DPPA lead multi-agency re-assessment Focus on Ethiopia is produced by UN Office for the mission is currently assessing the humanitarian situation, Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in revising needs for food aid interventions as well as other collaboration with other UN agencies and partner NGOs. sectors emergency interventions in Afder, Gode, and Liben Focus on Ethiopia provides a monthly overview of zones. humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, as well as focusing on particular issues of interest. Send comments, Rains have been received in the northern zones, especially suggestions and contributions to [email protected] in and around Jijiga zone, which corresponds to the normal onset of the gu rains. About 1 to 5 days of rainfall were observed during the second week of March in Jijiga town REGIONAL OVERVIEW and neighboring areas, including Kebribeyah and Babile woredas. Moyale woreda in Liben zone received four days SOMALI (from 22 to 25 March) of good rains, while Gerbo woreda in There is no significant improvement in the drought Fik zone reportedly received some average rains during the situation in Somali Region. Pre-famine conditions prevail, third dekad of March. Geladin and Shekosh woredas of including increasing malnutrition rates; serious water Korahe zone received light showers during the first dekad shortages; and intensified cattle and shoats mortality. High of March. Some sporadic rains have also been reported rates of abortion of cattle; street begging; and distress sale from Degehabur, Korahe and Shinile zones. Rains in the of productive basic assets also continue to be reported. worst drought-affected southern areas are expected to Abnormal livestock migrations in search of pasture and begin in April. These areas, have so far only received some water; and abnormal human migrations to urban areas early light showers during the last week of February. The have also intensified.Terms of trade have worsened for the showers were not significant to improve the water and pastoralists as cereal prices are still very high and price of pasture shortages. livestock is very low. A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 2 Water remains the top priority in the southern zones. More transport issues for the drought emergency is now being than 640,000 people are in need of immediate water coordinated by a Transport Coordination Commission, set interventions. There are 104 water trucks currently working up at federal level, as well as in Nazareth and Dire Dawa. in the region. Of these, 38 are deployed by the DPPB and In addition, a new delivery method is devised, where trucks the rest are UNICEF, DPPA, international NGOs and transporting food will travel in convoy (a minimum of 20 woreda administrations. The Federal Water Resource trucks) escorted by the army. While the system could Ministry has provided 11 generators and submersible reduce food diversions, it could also result in delays. The pumps, pipes and bladders. Several well development and Road Transport Authority is also trying to increase the installation, generator replacement and maintenance, transport capacity for dispatches, with possible emergency scheme construction and rehabilitation are on- redeployment of trucks from Nazareth to Dire Dawa and going in Jijiga, Degehabur, Fik and Shinile zones by UN more involvement of Somali trucks in the operation. In agencies and International NGOs. However, the issue of addition, there are plans for printing vouchers for food water management problems, particularly in coordinating delivery and receipts will be printed for each woreda, and monitoring in water tankering activities prevails. instead of zones. There is hope that these measures will increase the previously slow dispatch rate. To date, 45 percent of the food allocated for February has been dispatched. The Regional Health Bureau (RHB) reported 12 clinically confirmed cases of measles with four resulting in deaths in Bare woreda (Afder zone). There are also reports of small scale malaria and diarrhea outbreaks in the affected zones. According to NGOs, malnutrition has increased in Bare, Hargele, Dolobay, and Chereti woredas (Afder zone) and East Imi, Mustahil, Ferfer and Denan woredas (Gode zone). In addition, GOAL recently reported critical malnutrition in Guna Goda woreda in Degehabur zone with 20.3 percent Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and 3.9 percent Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) with 1.09/10000/day under-five mortality rate (U5MR). Even though nutritional surveys keep reporting the severity of the Large numbers of livestock are still dying in Liben, Afder situation, there is still a gap in nutritional programmes, and Gode zones due to prolonged feed shortage, water including Supplementary Feeding Center (SFC) and stress and diseases. The livestock condition is also very Therapeutic Feeding Center (TFC) in the affected zones. poor in Miesso and Erer woredas of Shinile zone. There are 59,000 malnourished beneficiaries identified for Livestock diseases including CCPP, internal parasite, Targeted Supplementary Feeding (TSF) from the 21 infectious diarrhea, trypanosomiasis, tick born diseases, Enhance Outreach Strategy (EOS) screened woredas. The pasteurellosis are reported in the region, particularly in DPPA has received information regarding the beneficiary Dolobay (Afder zone) and Erer (Shinile zone) woredas. numbers by food distribution centers for these screened Camels are hit by a disease locally known as kuududiye. woredas. The TSF will be dispatched to eight woredas in There are abnormal livestock migrations from Afder to the Gode during the first week of April. Approximately 18,500 neighboring Gode and Fik zones. Many livestock are beneficiaries will receive rations of CSB and oil in the area. migrating from these areas to the adjacent Oromiya Food will be dispatched to the remaining 13 woredas once woredas in search of pasture and water. There are also in- the Gode dispatches have been completed. In Somali migrations from Somalia to Awbere woreda of Jijiga zone. Region, a total of 58,500 children under five and women The regional agricultural bureau, FAO, ICRC, IRC, ACF, will receive food in April with the next round of distribution Save the Children USA and Save the Children UK are being planned for June. International NGOs, including MSF actively involved in livestock interventions such as - Belgium conducted a survey in the four EOS woredas vaccination and treatment. However, no tangible de- (Chereti, Bare, Moyale and Dolo Odo) and reported that stocking interventions are on-going, as most organisations they will provide the required interventions by establishing including VOCA, IRC and the Save the Children USA are Community-based Therapeutic Centers (CTCs). Their at planning stages. Meanwhile, clan conflicts in Geladin interventions will be complemented by the mobile health woreda of warder zone has resulted in displacement of teams. The screening for Geladin is still pending due to both animals and humans. There are also reports of clan security reasons. Meanwhile, a measles vaccination conflict in Mulli area, which is between Babile and Fik. campaign, coupled with Vitamin A supplementation, targeting 808,241 children, is being conducted in Somali Although there has been a considerable improvement over Region. UNICEF facilitated the Regional Health authorities' the last month, delayed delivery of food due to logistic- coordination of NGO involvement in the measles campaign. related problems and food diversions prevail in the region. Among others, Save-US, CARE, IMC and GOAL will The Government has taken measures to tackle these contribute staff and logistic support in the implementation of problems including giving priority for transporters to the the campaign. UNICEF sent 265 tonnes of plumpy’nut to region, regular radio broadcasts informing beneficiaries of the region to support the therapeutic feeding activities. food allocations and deploying military escorts. All A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 3 To strengthen the human resource capacity, 25 teams of adequate to improve pasture and availability of water. As a Federal health professionals including medical doctors, result the team recommends water rationing and animal health officers and nurses are deployed to the region. 11 feeding to continue in the zone, especially in Moyale, Dire, mobile health service teams, funded by UNICEF will be on Miyo, and Arero woredas. CARE and USAID in their the ground to provide curative services, Insecticide Situation Update report that the rains have slightly Treated Nets (ITNs) distributions and OTP (Outreach improved the availability of water and regeneration of Therapeutic Programme). A further five are planned to be pasture in Teltele and Yabelo woredas. As a result, deployed if additional staff can be found. In addition,