Eastern and Southern Africa Region Appeal

Conflict, natural disasters and public health emergencies are affecting 51 million children throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Many children are facing multiple crises simultaneously, forced into repeated and prolonged displacement. Economic challenges, including currency depreciation, inflation, South Africa's weak economic growth and trade disruptions linked to the conflict in the Sudan compound the challenges that families are experiencing. High debt servicing costs and international spending pressures strain fiscal stability and impede poverty reduction. This has the potential to drive political instability, as governments contend with rising public frustration over economic hardships. 

Nearly 12 million people are internally displaced within the region. And 4.6 million people – up 14 percent since 2023 – have sought refuge in the region, due in large part to escalating conflicts in the Sudan and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Uganda hosts 2 million refugees, the highest in Africa and the fifth largest refugee population globally. The situation is critical for children who are refugees, because they are especially vulnerable to violence, exploitation and family separation. Gender-based violence, worsened by food insecurity and the lack of economic opportunities, is a growing threat, with adolescent girls at heightened risk of child marriage and other harmful practices as families adopt negative coping mechanisms. Educational outcomes are similarly dire, with nearly 47 million children in the region out of school.

Additionally, climate change is exacerbating the effects of the current El Niño weather pattern, which is now one of the five strongest on record. El Niño has led to unprecedented droughts and floods that have devastated already vulnerable communities throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. As the region braces for escalating humanitarian needs, the potential onset of the La Niña weather pattern looms. The outlook for children is increasingly alarming. Amid declining food production and rising malnutrition, they are bearing the worst of this crisis: approximately one in three children faces food poverty, 2.78 million children under age 5 are severely wasted and 28 million throughout the region are at risk of being trapped in a cycle of malnutrition and poverty, depriving them of the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. 

Public health emergencies are disproportionately impacting women and children, with a number of countries experiencing outbreaks of cholera, measles, mpox and Marburg virus disease. Cholera continues to pose a significant threat in the Comoros, Malawi and Zambia, while outbreaks of Mpox in Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda and Marburg virus disease in Rwanda present substantial regional risks. 

Urgent and immediate action is critical to safeguard the most vulnerable populations and prevent further deterioration of children's already difficult situation.

In line with the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the organization's 2024 strategy for contributing to Africa's development agendas, UNICEF will provide integrated life-saving assistance and ensure continuity of essential services for children while strengthening preparedness, building community resilience and addressing climate challenges in targeted countries. UNICEF will strenghen partnerships with regional bodies including the Southern Africa Development Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development; UNICEF will also enhance support to national and local authorities as well as civil society organizations, while ensuring robust coordination and complementary action with other stakeholders. Localization, through community engagement and the empowerment of local organizations and existing structures, will remain the backbone of UNICEF’s strategy, laying the groundwork for sustainable community ownership of critical interventions for children. 

UNICEF is dedicated to promoting inclusive and equitable emergency preparedness and response by integrating age- and gender-specific services that address the particular needs of women and adolescent girls – and which also effectively harness the 'demographic dividend' as the region's population continues to grow. UNICEF will encourage a participatory approach that empowers all individuals to voice their needs and concerns, fostering transparency and trust while mainstreaming disability inclusion. UNICEF prioritizes protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and will continue to holistically and systematically scale up related interventions, as well as gender-based violence prevention measures. 

As crises occur, UNICEF will deliver integrated life-saving services to address the immediate and multifaceted needs of vulnerable children across nutrition, health, WASH, child protection and education. UNICEF will also leverage resilience programmes linking humanitarian efforts with development interventions to ensure comprehensive and sustainable support while improving access to quality, inclusive assistance within protective, child-friendly environments. Supporting governments in strengthening shock-responsive social protection systems will be an integral element of the strategy to enhance resilience against future shocks and ensure timely and effective assistance for vulnerable children. 

UNICEF will enhance its anticipatory actions, focusing on mitigating the impact of crises on children through strengthened early-warning mechanisms and resilience-building initiatives. This includes conducting expanded risk analyses and using geospatial and real-time monitoring, along with early interventions that enhance community capacity and readiness, reinforcing people's resilience.