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UNICEF Angola Humanitarian Situation Report January - December 2018

Attachments

Highlights

• In 2018, 319,726 children under the age of five were screened for malnutrition and 74,871 treated for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in drought affected areas and in Lovua settlement, where refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are located.

• With UNICEF support, 2,731 household latrines and showers were built for all refugees living in Lovua settlement, and 87,500 people gained access to safe water through water points and handpumps in droughtaffected areas.

• With UNICEF support, 2,250 mobilizers were trained on cholera prevention reaching approximately 330,000 people through door-todoor visits. While, 35 participants, mostly from provincial health authorities, were trained on Ebola risk communication and community engagement.

• Over 1700 teachers received training on prevention of cholera and mosquito borne diseases, benefiting 400,000 students from 755 schools.

• A funding gap of 77 per cent impacted UNICEF’s capacity to respond to the needs of refugee children and Angolan women and children at risk of water-borne diseases and malnutrition

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

In 2018, southern Angola experienced a chronic nutrition crisis, with an average proxy Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 10 per cent (4 per cent for SAM) consistently reported from community screening of children under five years in Huila, Cunene and Bié. Severe dry seasons and below average rainfall, coupled with economic downturn and higher prices for basic commodities, reduced the capacity of the most vulnerable families to meet their nutrition needs. Reduced coverage of nutritional screening and referral at community level, low quality of SAM case management and limited stocks of therapeutic products at national level were other contributing factors.

Cholera remained a concern with 11 out of 18 provinces identified as cholera hotspots. In 2018, three cholera outbreaks were declared in Uíge and Luanda provinces, with 1,262 suspected cases and 18 deaths reported. Although prepositioning of supplies and partnerships in those areas are key priorities in preparedness efforts, successive and overlapped outbreaks, and lack of funding and experienced partners constrained UNICEF’s ability to deliver a timely and enhanced response. Access to safe water remained limited with over 700,000 people in need of clean drinking water, especially in the south. In addition, lack of investment in essential infrastructure and the limited reach of hygiene services raised the risk of cholera spreading to other provinces.

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the DRC, and consequent elevated risk of cross border spread, prompted the Government to implement preparedness and preventative actions. Under the leadership of the Civil Protection National Committee (CNPC), and with UNICEF and partners’ support, the 2018 Ebola National Contingency Plan was drafted and approved. At the same time, a set of preventive measures in the border provinces were put in place, including training of health staff on case management, as well as community and religious leaders on prevention measures.

Instability and potential for violence in the Kasai region of the DRC remained a matter of concern. As forecasted in the Regional Refugee Response Plan, the number of refugees in Angola may rise from the 36,452 currently registered in Lunda Norte to around 59,000, further straining access to basic services for both refugees and host community populations, and increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

In August 2018, UNICEF Angola reviewed its Humanitarian Action for Children appeal (HAC) to align targets with the current situation. Despite the best fundraising efforts, 77 per cent of the planned requirements remained unfunded, with this gap having an impact on UNICEF’s humanitarian response and prevented the implementation of key interventions, such as child protection case management and activities for the prevention of violence against children. In addition, lack of qualified humanitarian and civil society actors posed significant challenges to UNICEF's ability to prepare for, prevent and respond to emergencies. As such, UNICEF focused on strengthening the capacities of governmental institutions on emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Partnerships with provincial governments and strategic engagement with grassroots organisations generated significant results, particularly in the nutrition, WASH, and C4D sectors.