© UNICEF-Norway N.C./2012/Brekke
Orphan boy living in a baby home (orphanage) who was severely acute malnourished (red part of arm band) but improving fastly with the ready-to-use therapeutic food and antibiotics given to him.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
In 2013, UNICEF and partners plan for:
1.75 million
children under 5 affected by acute watery diarrhoea and severe pneumonia have access to life-saving curative interventions
15,000
children aged 0−59 months will be treated for severe acute malnutrition
100,000
people access clean drinking water
2013 requirements (US$)
A silent emergency of undernutrition defines the reality for many children and mothers in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with 32 per cent of children under 5 stunted.1 A challenged economy and recurrent natural hazards, in particular floods in July and August 2012, have added new dimensions to a landscape marked by food insecurity. In 2011, the infant mortality rate increased to 26 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with the 1990 level of 23 deaths per 1,000 live births.2 Pneumonia and diarrhoea, mostly stemming from a lack of access to safe water and sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas, account for the deaths of 28 per cent of children under 5.3 The maternal mortality rate is still high, with 81 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010, compared with the 1990 level of 97 deaths per 100,000 live births.4 Additionally, a shortage of education resources has degraded school infrastructure and the quality of education. Although UNICEF continues to support the nationwide implementation of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and micronutrient supplementation, humanitarian access remains challenging. UNICEF and United Nations agencies follow the principle of ‘no access, no support’ and continue to advocate for transparency of information and access to the affected population.
Planned Results for 2013
2013 Programme Targets
Nutrition
- 15,000 children aged 0−59 months will be treated for severe acute malnutrition in at least 60 counties of four provinces (Kangwon, North, Hamgyong, Ryanggang and South Hamgyong),as well as in 10 provincial paediatric hospitals and in 14 orphanages
- 4,800,000 non-pregnant women 15−40 years old, 435,000 pregnant and lactating women and 316,000 children aged 6−24 months will receive micronutrient supplementation to fight against micronutrient deficiencies.
- 530,000 mothers of children aged 0−23 months nationwide will be reached by breastfeeding and complementary feeding promotion.
Health
- 352,000 children under 1 and 360,000 pregnant women immunized for EPI vaccines.
- 1,750,000 children under 5 affected by acute watery diarrhoea and severe pneumonia having accessed life-saving curative interventions.
- 29,000 pregnant women have accessed to life saving equipment/kits in case of complicated deliveries.
- 1,400,000 children aged 12−59 months dewormed and 1,581,000 children aged 6−59 months received the two doses of Vitamin A.
WASH
- 25,000 families (100,000 people) provided with sustainable clean drinking water through gravity fed system and renovation of pumping stations.
- 100,000 people access clean drinking water through water purification tablets and deep boring and hand pumps.
- 5,000 families provided with UNICEF water and Hygiene kits.
Education
- 14 schools and kindergarten infrastructure rehabilitated, benefitting 7,000 children.
- 25 kindergartens provided with new early childhood development kits for better cognitive development benefitting 6,250 preschool-aged children.
- 35,000 children provided with different types of educational kits facilitating continued learning.
In 2013, UNICEF and partners will support the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to sustain critical nationwide interventions while focusing on more vulnerable communities and institutions, in particular in northern provinces and remote counties. Critical programmes include immunization, deworming, the provision of essential life-saving drugs, the promotion of breastfeeding and the provision of supplementary feeding. For nutrition, curative interventions for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) will complement preventive interventions to address stunting. Working with partners, UNICEF will also support the scale-up of maternal health interventions to protect an additional 29,000 pregnant women with complicated deliveries by providing life-saving equipment, kits and training. Gravity-fed water supply systems, a proven cost-effective and environmentally friendly intervention, combined with hygiene promotion, will allow 100,000 people to access safe water. An additional 100,000 people will benefit from water purification tablets, boreholes and hand pumps. School infrastructure for some 7,000 children will be rehabilitated, while learning for 6,250 preschool children will be improved by providing early child development kits and training caregivers. As preparedness measures, UNICEF will replenish pre-positioned stocks with supplies for nutrition, health, education and WASH responses for up to 100,000 people who could potentially be affected by floods, a reoccurring phenomenon in the country.
Results from 2012
UNICEF appealed for US$22,428,000 and, as of 31 October, US$9,800,336 or 44 per cent of the required funds were received. The generous contributions, complemented by thematic funding, enabled UNICEF to reach most humanitarian targets for health and education in 2012. However, shortage of funding affected nutrition and WASH, thus preventing efforts to address the interlinked causes of undernutrition and child mortality. The Government, WHO, WFP and UNICEF supported the national nutrition survey, which is providing a more accurate data on undernutrition. Funds allowed the scaling-up of treatment for acute malnutrition and new procedures were developed to address moderate malnutrition in the country for the first time. National coverage of vaccination and micronutrients supplementation for pregnant women and child health days reached the expected target for Vitamin A supplementation and deworming. In addition, in six provinces, children had access to essential life-saving drugs. UNICEF rehabilitated 12 educational institutions based on the child-friendly school framework in 11 counties. During the 2012 floods, UNICEF responded to health, WASH and education emergency needs of more than 100,000 people in three provinces through the provision of eight inter-agency emergency health kits, water and hygiene kits, water purification tablets and various educational kits. In WASH, an additional 25,000 people from two county towns were supported with access to safe water through gravity-fed water supply systems.
UNICEF Funding Requirements for 2013
UNICEF is requesting US$22,790,000 to meet the humanitarian needs of children in DPRK in 2013. Without additional funding UNICEF will be unable to support the national response to the country’s continuing silent emergency of undernutrition or to provide critical health, WASH and education services to the most vulnerable groups.