Mitigating the impact of humanitarian crises
Annual report 2018
The issue
Severe ethnic conflict broke out in July and August in the border zones of Oromia and SNNP regions, leading to large scale displacement of nearly one million people, bringing the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) to 2.8 million in 2018. Along international borders, some Ethiopians displaced by the conflict in Oromia region crossed into Kenya, and a large influx of Eritrean refugees entered Ethiopia since the reopening of the border crossing points between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 2018, the total number of registered refugees and asylum seekers reached 919,938, mainly coming from South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea.
Despite improvements in the drought situation in parts of the country, the national humanitarian appeal stood at more than US$ 1.4 billion, equivalent to more than 10 per cent of the government’s annual budget. The impact of the emergencies was especially apparent for children, particularly migrant children, displaced children, and children on the move, who were at heightened risks of exposure to exploitation and abuse due to lack of access to education and precarious living conditions.
Health and Nutrition in Emergencies
100 per cent
of children aged 6 months to 15 years in humanitarian situations targeted by UNICEF were vaccinated against measles, halting outbreaks in conflict-affected regions.
- 49 mobile health and nutrition teams provided services to children and mothers affected by emergencies, reaching 391,844 beneficiaries with medical consultations in 2018, including life-saving treatment for SAM and moderate acute malnutrition.
- There was a 10-fold reduction rate in new cases of acute watery diarrhea for children in emergencies, due to successful multi-sectoral response.
- In response to the outbreak of vaccine-derived Polio Virus Type-2 declared in the Horn of Africa in 2018, UNICEF facilitated the completion of the National Emergency Outbreak Response Plan, in addition to vaccine logistics, management, and social mobilization for two campaigns that reached over 95 per cent coverage.
Education in Emergencies:
6,822
internally displaced young children received emergency pre-primary services that helped young children find stability in safe learning environments, heal from trauma, and learn pre-literacy and numerous skills.
- 622 primary school teachers and 46 social workers in conflict-affected regions received professional training on psychosocial and emotional learning, collectively reaching 66,531 internally displaced children with improved education and psychosocial support.
WASH in Emergencies:
- UNICEF was a major contributor to the WASH sector’s emergency response, with an allocation of over US$ 20 million from the total cluster mobilization of US$ 51 million (over 40 per cent).
- More than 5.5 million people received life-saving water supply interventions, including the distribution of household water treatment chemicals.
- More than 2.7 million people were reached with hygiene promotion and 35,851 people benefitted from emergency sanitation interventions.
686,000 people
in emergencies reached with permanent WASH infrastructure, 1,850,938 people reached with hygiene promotion and 35,851 people benefitted from emergency sanitation.
Child Protection in Emergencies:
- UNICEF supported the family tracing and reunification of 3,731 children in Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions.
- 58 per cent of girls and boys in humanitarian situations targeted by UNICEF were provided with psychosocial support, including access to child friendly spaces.
802
children on the move received protective services through UNICEF-supported programmes.