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It's not too late for the Horn

"With the attention of the world now focused on the drought, it is by no means too late to save millions of lives," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. "But immediate action is crucial. There must be inspired leadership at every level, and a political will to overcome obstacles. If these elements are present the world can avert a human disaster on the scale of regional famine in the mid-1980s."

UNICEF offices in the five countries most directly threatened by the drought -- Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia -- are focusing their relief efforts in the areas of health, nutrition, water, and sanitation. "Food is essential, absolutely," said Rodney Phillips, UNICEF Senior Programme Officer in Ethiopia, speaking from Addis Ababa. "But food alone is not sufficient to prevent death. Without clean water to drink, diseases can easily claim lives. Without proper health care, diseases can spread unchecked. A holistic approach is paramount."

A UNICEF water and sanitation expert is taking part in the current UN mission led by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Catherine Bertini. UNICEF offices in each of the affected countries have also been supporting the Bertini mission, contributing information on the needs of children and women to the overall assessment.

UNICEF identified key areas for which inspired political leadership is required in order to save lives:

• Access to the affected populations: UNICEF indicated that governments in the region should be prepared to do everything possible to enable humanitarian agencies to reach the regions most threatened by the drought. "Security for humanitarian workers must be a priority for all of us -- UN agencies, national and local governments, even civilian populations," said Ms. Bellamy. "Safe and swift access is the number one challenge for us."

• Cooperation on logistics: UNICEF urged "everyone interested in saving lives" to work together "in a spirit of co-operation, creativity and shared urgency" in order to overcome the logistical hurdles to moving relief supplies. "If roads need paving, let's pave them. If customs procedures are cumbersome, let's expedite them. If international differences need bridging, let's bridge them," Ms. Bellamy said. "At every hurdle we must keep in mind the millions of children and their families whose lives depend on our ability to work together quickly."

• Continued donor support: UNICEF said significant progress had been made in the 15 years since the disastrous famine of the mid-1980s and that donor support for ongoing development work had made that possible. "The long-term work of governments, UN agencies, and local and international non-governmental agencies really underpin this emergency relief programme," Mr. Phillips said from Addis Ababa. "Our ongoing presence makes it more likely that our present efforts can save lives, and it shows the value of long-term donor support." Mr. Phillips added that UNICEF ongoing country programmes in health, education, water & sanitation, and child rights education would continue during the emergency.

UNICEF also provided background on several of the key drought-affected countries:

Ethiopia

• UNICEF estimates that of the eight million people at immediate risk, 1.4 million are under the age of five.
• Minority tribes numbering some 150,000 people in South Omo are particularly isolated and at risk. UNICEF staff visiting the area in recent days saw women and children eating leaves.
• UNICEF has airlifted relief supplies into the southern regions of Ethiopia, including several tonnes of high-protein biscuits for children and pregnant women, water cans for family use, and oral re-hydration salts. UNICEF noted that the biscuits were particularly valuable because they are ready to eat and require no preparation or searching for wood and water.
• Education is suffering from the drought as children leave school to help support family incomes. Entire schools are closing down. In the Gode region alone, more than a third of primary schools have shut their doors.

Somalia

• The next two weeks are critical for determining how severely Somalia will be affected by drought. Rain in the most affected region -- the south -- is still possible.
• If rains do not develop up to one million people in central and southern portions of Somalia may be at risk, including 300,000 children under the age of five.
• Although security in the south of the country fluctuates from day to day, UNICEF operates five offices in that region and has experienced staff there.
• UNICEF and other UN agencies have worked closely to pre-position relief items in the affected areas. These supplies are now being used in the relief operation.
• The impact of the drought on children is not limited to the supply of food. The impact on education, the effects of displacement and family break up, the burden on women (often tackling childcare single-handed) are rights issues which need to be seriously addressed.

Eritrea

• More than 500,000 people are at risk.
• The population most at risk is made up of more than 300,000 people internally displaced by the border dispute with Ethiopia.
• This population was displaced from homes in the south of the country -- a primary food-production region in Eritrea. Their displacement has thus hurt the nation's agricultural sector. Instead of providing food, this population now relies on food aid.

Kenya

• Some 700,000 people are at immediate risk, including 100,000 under five. An additional two million people may be affected if the drought does not ease.
• The drought is centred in the north and northeast of the country, along the border with Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. Of a total of 55 districts, 32 are currently experiencing declining access to water and very high pressure on remaining sources.
• Throughout the affected districts, acute malnutrition rates are approaching 20 per cent among children.
• UNICEF is the only agency addressing water issues on a major scale, including the provision of hand pumps, the drilling of hundreds of bore-holes and wells, rehabilitation of water pumping equipment, and the supply of irrigation equipment.

Djibouti

• UNICEF Djibouti is focusing on health activities in a country where only 40 per cent of children are immunized. Oral re-hydration salts, malaria drugs, anti-parasite drugs and other medical items are being distributed.

In addition to the immediate funding response from some donors, UNICEF has advanced funds from its emergency programme fund to respond to the most critical needs. The current shortfall is significant and additional resources are urgently required.

See also:
Drought in eastern Africa

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