ReliefWeb

Refugees told UNHCR of increasing preventable deaths – more than 20 over the last six weeks – linked to the overall decline in conditions, and in particular the lack of medicine and health services.

In just two weeks, tens of thousands of people fled into Chad or were displaced within Cameroon. The December clashes followed similar violence in August 2021, when 23,000 people were displaced.

COVID-19, combined with climate shocks and ongoing conflict, continues to push children and families to the brink, despite a gradual improvement in wasting treatment outreach in the regions.

Thousands of people living close to the contact line regularly suffer from disrupted access to food, water and electricity, and hundreds of people are still searching for their missing family members.

Newly reported cases fell by 20% in the week to 16 January, while deaths dropped by 8%. If the trend continues, the surge in deaths will also be the shortest reported so far during this pandemic.

“This crisis response remains severely underfunded. This year, we’ve only received a fraction of the funding needed to prepare people for the winter and protect them against the cold," says CARE.

The most pressing needs are the availability of safe water, not only on the main island Tongatapu but also on smaller islands in the country, particularly in the Ha’apai group.

A new study shows that funding for child protection in the world’s worst crises dropped from 42% of the amount required in 2019 to 24% in 2020, leaving millions of children without access to services.