Humanitarian response

UNICEF Response

Management and coordination

• Clusters partners in the operational hubs of Caia, Mutarara and Mopeia have started meeting on a regular basis to facilitate coordination on geographical coverage and to provide updates on activities and distribution of supplies. 
• The Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC) report on the government-led, multi-sectoral initial assessment in the flood affected areas is pending final endorsement and will be officially released on 30 January.

Health and Nutrition

• The preliminary report from the inter-agency multi-sectoral assessment concluded that, given the already precarious situation in relation to nutrition among young children in the country, the effects of the current flood emergency have the potential to create serious negative implications for the nutritional status of children over the next few months. Recommendations include that nutrition screening, Vitamin A supplementation and de-worming need to be stepped up, in particular for the most vulnerable children under five who have fled their habitations or have been evacuated, and to provide nutrition rehabilitation for acutely malnourished children, including expanding outpatient treatment with therapeutic feeding.
• Nutrition screening is being carried out by Nutrition Cluster members in coordination with District Health officials in Mutarara, Caia, Mopeia and Govuro. In Mutarara 715 children were screened in four centers and 52 were found to be moderately malnourished, 3 were severely malnourished. Some Corn Soya Blend (CSB) is already available in Mutarara and more is on its way. In Mopeia 442 children had been screened and the 10 who were found to be moderately malnourished were being given PlumpyNut, while BP-5 is awaited. In Govuro 155 children have been screened and 17 moderately malnourished children are receiving support with enriched porridge from locally available foods while BP-5 is transported to the district.
• Activities and messages around prevention of cholera, malaria and HIV are being carried out by mobile multimedia units in resettlement centres in Caia and Mopeia. In addition, community theatre activities covering cholera prevention, hygiene promotion, malaria and HIV prevention are being performed in both districts. Radio spots on cholera prevention, malaria and water treatment, developed with technical assistance from UNICEF and partners, are currently being broadcast in Mutarara district.
• A second round of Ministry of Health/Red Cross Mozambique (CVM) training of 20 activists began on 28 January. The training will focus on water and hygiene, cholera prevention, malaria and HIV/AIDS awareness. Afterwards the activists will return to the resettlement centres to conduct social mobilisation activities.

Water and Sanitation 

• UNICEF and partners have successfully installed 11 water treatment plants in resettlement centres in flood-affected areas. The distribution of latrine slabs and plastic sheeting continues in transit centres in Mutarara district while efforts are underway to construct improved latrines in resettlement centres in Mopeia district. Repair of hand pumps in Njanjanja and Nkuleche resettlement centres is on-going and is expected to be completed shortly.
• WASH Cluster partners have identified the scope and geographical coverage of the WASH emergency response in Zambezia province. CVM and MSF are covering Mopeia district; CVM’s main focus is on water supply and hygiene education; and MSF is providing water trucking to two resettlement centres in the district. To date, a total of 37,000 cubic metres have been provided to resettlement centres in the area. IRD is responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities in Morrumbala and Chinde districts. All activities are being implemented in conjunction with district water authorities and UNICEF is providing overall support and supplies to implementing partners as WASH Cluster Lead.

Education

• The 2008 school year has officially started in flood-affected areas. UNICEF and partners participated in the opening of the new school year in Mopeia district, conducted by the Vice Minister of Education, where Save the Children has installed eight school tents. An additional two school tents have been installed in Govuro district by Samaritan’s Purse, another Cluster member. A further 28 school tents have reached distribution hubs where they are being collected by partners for onward transportation to resettlement centres or neighbouring schools.
• Education Cluster partners have been distributing school materials in flood-affected areas including Inhambane, where 463 children, 50 teachers and 10 schools received school supplies. Other partners are preparing for the distribution of 52,077 learner’s kits, 750 teachers’ kits and 195 school kits over the coming week.
• UNICEF and Education Cluster partners are conducting complementary awareness raising activities, including training of school cluster coordinators and theatre groups on disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness in Mopeia and Morrumbala districts. Social mobilisation activities around girls’ education are being carried out in approximately 20 resettlement centres in flood-affected areas across the Zambeze river basin through mobile multimedia units and support to community theatre groups.

Protection

• The Ministry of the Interior, with support from UNICEF and partners, has deployed 383 police officers to five provinces. The Protection Cluster members are following-up to ascertain how many of these have been trained on protection issues and will support the Ministry of the Interior to develop a deployment plan for each resettlement centre.
• Training of humanitarian workers was carried out in Tete for the prevention of gender-based violence and to build capacities of government, NGO and volunteer organisations to protect the rights of women and children in emergency situations.
• Partnerships have been formalised between UNICEF and Protection Cluster partners for immediate interventions, with a focus on training of local authorities on protection issues (including the specific needs of women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities), distribution of basic materials to the most vulnerable families and implementation of psycho-social support activities.

Logistics and telecommunications support

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) has continued to install telecommunication equipment to support the humanitarian response in flood-affected locations. In Mutarara district, two wireless access points have been installed, and a UTP cable has been laid between the World Vision and UNICEF offices.
• The BGAN station in Mopeia is now operational and options for alternative and less costly telecommunications equipment are currently being explored.
• UNICEF and partners are investigating alternative modes of transport including additional barges and boats to facilitate distribution of emergency supplies in the flood-affected areas. Two UNHAS helicopters are currently in Caia. However, one has been grounded due to damage to one of its blades and will be out of service for approximately one week while awaiting the arrival of spare parts. 

Inter-Agency Collaboration and Key Partnerships

• As a follow-up to the meeting that was held on 28 January between the Humanitarian Country Team and the Mozambican donor community, UNICEF and the co-lead of the Education and Protection Clusters, Save the Children Alliance, are meeting with representatives from key bilateral partners to provide a situation update on the emergency response and to present the immediate and medium-term humanitarian requirements in flood-affected districts.

For more information, please contact:

Lisa Doherty
Emergency Officer
Tel: +258 82 3179160
ldoherty@unicef.org

Thierry Delvigne-Jean
Communication Specialist
Tel: +258 82 3121820
tdelvignejean@unicef.org

Annelien Groten
UNICEF Emergency Situation Centre
Tel: +258 84 2354355
agroten@unicef.org

Lynda DeGuire
UNICEF Emergency Situation Centre
Tel: +258 82 784 9501
ldeguire@unicef.org