HIGHLIGHTS

• Over 170 people have died and 225,000 displaced as a result of flash flooding

• Food Security: Aid agencies urged to adopt ‘no regrets response’ to build on regional food security gains

• Renewed attempts made to address cross border and incountry insecurity in eastern Africa, namely in Somalia,
  DRC and Kenya.

• Regional Migration: An estimated 9.15 million people are currently displaced in the region: 2,012,531 are refugees and 7,141,442 are IDPs

By Lucy Westcott

UNITED NATIONS, May 22 2013 (IPS) - PATH, a Seattle-based global health development organisation, is aiming to save two million lives by 2015 by jointly tackling diarrhea and pneumonia, the leading killers of children globally.

Steve Davis, president and CEO of PATH, delivered the message at the ninth annual PATH Breakfast for Global Health held in Seattle on Tuesday.

“Today we placed a bold stake in the ground, with partners around the world, to save two million lives by the end of 2015,” Davis told IPS.

Today, it is well accepted that our own actions – as individuals, communities and nations – make all the difference between a natural event and a natural disaster. We may not be able to stop the earth from shaking, or storms from striking, but our choices can determine the extent of death and damage they cause.

Ethiopia has the second largest population in Africa, and the thirteenth largest in the world. The current population of 84 million is expected to reach 120 million by 2030, and 145 million by 2050. Ethiopia will play a large role in meeting the global goal of putting 15 million people on HIV treatment by 2015 and in helping create an AIDS-free generation. To do so, the population of Ethiopia needs reliable and consistent access to medicine. At present, however, the ability to acquire medicine is limited due to challenges of access, supply, distribution and cost.

Heavy rains were observed in western Ethiopia, western South Sudan and Nigeria during the past week.

1) Poorly distributed and significantly below average seasonal rainfall has resulted in deteriorating ground conditions since January. This has negatively impacted crops and livestock throughout many parts of southern Angola and northern Namibia.

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Djibouti

Events /trends/ data / analysis

New Arrivals: In April 2013, an estimated 4,615 migrants arrived on Yemen’s shores via Djibouti, a 46% decrease from March. 80% of these migrants were Ethiopians while the rest were Somali.

Boats: A total of 66 vessels left via the Red Sea for Yemen carrying an average of 69 passengers per trip in the month of April.

Cross border movements to/from Somalia and major movements within Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba

Gondar May 20/2013 Construction of a hospital is well in progress in Mekaneberhan Town, capital of Janamora Woreda, North Gondar Zone of Amhara State with over 35 million Birr allocated by the government, the zonal administration said. Woreda Chief, YaleAlem Fantahun said the hospital being constructed on 4,200 square meter land will have outpatient, mothers' and children’s as well as surgical wards and laboratory, among others. He said upon going fully operational within 18 months the hospital will have capacity to give service to more than 190,000 residents in the woreda.