Ethiopia–Tigray Region Humanitarian Update Situation Report #6 SITUATION UPDATE March 18, 2021 FAST FACTS • In Ethiopia, International Medical Corps has completed 7,600 consultations and reached 14,000 people with awareness-raising activities through our mobile health and nutrition clinics in Humera, Wolkayit and Tsegede woredas. • In Sudan, we have reached 7,220 people with hygiene promotion and COVID-19 prevention services in the last three months. Training of community health volunteers, Hamdeyet camp, Sudan. The conflict between the Ethiopian National Defence Force and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front continues, leading to massive humanitarian needs in both Ethiopia and Sudan. Fighting continues is the most northern region of Ethiopia, resulting in continued displacement of people internally. This week there have been reports of large displacements in Western Tigray toward the town of Shire, where approximately 45,000 newly displaced persons have been registered, with more than 1,500 arrivals per day. The displaced report dire conditions and abuses in the locations they have fled, and say that some remain stranded in their original area due to a lack of transportation. Basic services remain cut off, meaning that more than 4.5 million people have been without power or communications for more than four months. Though access has increased and aid is starting to arrive across the region, many areas remain inaccessible. Nevertheless, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) recently deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to respond to growing humanitarian needs in the region.1 To date, nearly 62,000 refugees have been registered at the crossing points along the Sudan–Ethiopia border. Humanitarian response efforts are focused on filling the existing gap in service delivery in the reception facilities, especially in the recently established Tunaydbah camp. In the Um Rakuba camp, there has been an increase of cases of watery diarrhea, which has been attributed to a lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)services.2 Partners are also highlighting the increasing prevalence of acute malnutrition across all locations. All partners are working to address gaps in the delivery of services and expand humanitarian assistance to the population in need. International Medical Corps’ Response Ethiopia International Medical Corps continues to focus our response in Humera, Wolkayit and Tsegede woredas, where needs are high and where there are very few humanitarian organizations providing assistance. Our mobile health and nutrition teams in all three woredas have provided outpatient consultations for more than 7,600 people, including 458 ante- and post-natal consultations, and 88 referrals to mental health services. We have also conducted nutrition screening of more than 1,700 children, and COVID-19 and hygiene sensitization for almost 14,300 people. A recent assessment by the team indicates that essential health and nutrition service delivery has been severely disrupted in all the three woredas due to insecurity, damage, looting, closure of health facilities and displacement of health staff. As 1 UNOCHA Ethiopia-–Tigray Region Humanitarian Update: Situation Report, March 13, 2021. 2 UNHCR Ethiopian Situation (Tigray Region): Regional update #11. Available at: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/82978 such, International Medical Corps is looking to secure funding for an integrated health, nutrition, WASH and protection project in Humera, Wolkayit and Tsegede, through additional mobile clinics and through providing support for existing health facilities and hospitals with capacity building and other services. Sudan Since the early stages of the crisis following the escalation of the Tigray conflict in November 2020, International Medical Corps’ emergency response team has been in the Hamdeyet refugee camp, working to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread across the host communities and the refugee population. International Medical Corps’ team is also fully engaged in the coordination mechanism with all relevant partners, clusters and authorities, contributing International Medical Corps mobile medical and nutrition teams are to the definition and prioritization of needs and providing services in Kafta Humera gaps in service delivery. As part of its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, International Medical Corps’ teams are working with local community health volunteers (CHVs), and have trained 80 volunteers in the first there months. The CHV teams are supporting a set of actions to improve community awareness of COVID-19 and other infectous diseases, disseminating health and hygiene messages that have so far reached 7,220 people, significantly contributing to the community-based surveillance system. In the last two weeks alone, International Medical Corps identified more than 1,000 people with COVID symptoms,including 160 individuals with a cough and fever. In addition, our team distributed up to 15,000 face masks to 750 families in need, as well as personal protective equipment to community clinics. Recently, International Medical Corps conducted a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) assessment to determine levels of acute malnutrition among the refugee population in selected locations. Of the 2,539 children aged 6–59 months screened for acute malnutrition, 104 (4.1%) had severe acute malnutrition, while nine had edema. Furthermore, 242 (9.53%) of the screened chidlren had moderate acute malnutrition. Considering the existing gaps in service delivery, International Medical Corps team would like to set up a temporary health site that can address the growing medical and nutrition needs for the refugees. In parallel, funding to address gaps in humanitarian assistance still need to be addressed—health, nutrition and WASH needs are still critical. An International Medical Corps community International Medical Corps’ team continues to support hygiene promotion, volunteer conducts a community awareness the community surveillance system and distributions of non-food items. session. .