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Niger + 2 more

Humanitarian Action for Children 2016 - Niger

Attachments

Total affected population: 2 million
Total affected children (under 18): 1.1 million
Total people to be reached in 2016: 1 million
Total children to be reached in 2016: 800,000

2016 programme targets

Nutrition

  • 400,794 children under 5 years suffering from SAM admitted into therapeutic feeding programmes

  • 183,615 children aged 6 to 59 months in Diffa Region received vitamin A supplementation every semester Health

  • 100,000 children aged 9 months to 14 years vaccinated against measles in Diffa Region

  • 110,000 children (malaria) and women (antenatal) with access to life-saving interventions through fixed and mobile strategies

WASH

  • 562,900 people in humanitarian situations accessed drinking water and appropriate sanitation facilities and practicing appropriate hygiene behaviours

Child protection

  • 40,000 children affected by conflict benefitted from access to child-friendly spaces for socialization, play and learning, and protected from violence, abuse and exploitation Education

  • 20,000 school-aged girls and boys (aged 7 to 14 years) accessed formal and non-formal education in Diffa Region

HIV and AIDS

  • 94 pregnant women who test positive for HIV provided with antiretroviral medications for prevention of mother-to- child transmission of HIV in Diffa Region

Niger

The Niger is facing a multifaceted humanitarian crisis caused by food insecurity, malnutrition, population movements, epidemics and natural disasters. The needs have been particularly acute in Diffa Region, where 213,000 people2 from Nigeria and the Niger remain displaced after fleeing the insecurity created by Boko Haram. Some 54,000 Malian3 refugees are still living in the Niger, which is increasing the strain on already weak and insufficient basic services in host communities. Security restrictions, coupled with a bad harvest, have impacted economic activities and weakened displaced and local communities even further. Frequent population movements and limited access due to insecurity are undermining accurate profiling and tracking, as well as the delivery of assistance. Recurrent epidemic outbreaks, such as measles and meningitis, are of serious humanitarian concern. Cholera also remains a major threat, particularly for Diffa and Tillabéry regions. Food insecurity and malnutrition are significant challenges in the current humanitarian context. It is estimated that in 2016, 2 million people4 will need food assistance and 400,794 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Humanitarian strategy

UNICEF and partners will continue to support humanitarian response in the Niger and provide multi-sectoral assistance to 1 million vulnerable people. UNICEF will assist 400,794 children affected by SAM and 403,000 refugees, returnees and people from host communities expected to be affected by the Nigeria crisis, including 221,000 children. Access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities will be provided for 562,900 people. In addition to the identification, registration and provision of care for unaccompanied and separated children, child-friendly spaces will be set up for 40,000 children affected by the conflict in Diffa Region. UNICEF will also support the Ministry of Education to ensure access to formal and non-formal learning opportunities for 20,000 girls and boys and will strengthen synergies through joint education and child protection interventions to address the needs of conflict-affected children in Diffa Region. UNICEF will work with the Ministry of Health to respond to epidemic outbreaks nationwide, while maintaining a focus on Diffa Region for the provision of life-saving interventions through community-based outreach to 110,000 children. UNICEF will scale up its monitoring capacity, particularly in Diffa Region, through a newly established zonal office. The office in Diffa will increase its support to local counterparts to facilitate humanitarian coordination in the areas of nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education and child protection, which UNICEF leads at the national level.

Results from 2015

As of 31 October 2015, UNICEF had received 26 per cent (US$10.6 million) of the US$40.5 million 2015 appeal, in addition to US$3.3 million carried forward from 2014. Despite low funding, UNICEF used other resources, including in-kind contributions, rolled-over 2014 supply funds and regular resources to ensure a continued supply of ready-to-use therapeutic food and maintain the life-saving national SAM treatment programme, reaching over 302,000 children (82 per cent of target). More than 13,000 households with malnourished children received WASH assistance and nearly 15,000 children benefitted from psychosocial support. UNICEF and partners provided 34,000 children affected by the Nigeria and Mali crises with access to child-friendly spaces, and more than 10,000 children benefited from access to education services. UNICEF played a major role in supporting the Ministry of Health to respond to epidemics through the provision of 462,000 doses of meningitis vaccines for children and measles immunization for 652,093 children. In Diffa Region, UNICEF and partners were not able to meet the targets for access to water, sanitation and education due to a lack of resources and operational partners. Nonetheless, these interventions remain priorities for humanitarian response in 2016 and UNICEF will continue its efforts to mobilize resources and partners.