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HIGHLIGHTS
Angola is not spared from the negative impact of global climate change. The population in the south of Angola experienced significant prolonged drought leading to more than two million children in need of humanitarian assistance. In addition, currently Angola is ranked 10th on the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index, meaning that the children of Angola are faced with continued risk of climate change-induced disasters.
CERF (Central Emergency Response Funds) was released for UNICEF and WFP to target 235,000 individuals affected by drought in Cunene, Huila, and Namibe provinces of South-Western Angola. To support the drought response, through financial support from CERF, UNICEF focused its strategic interventions to provide integrated humanitarian lifesaving services in health, nutrition, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), child protection, education and social and behaviour change communication programme for over 212,000 children.
As of mid-2023, approximately 23 per cent of UNICEF Angola Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal in 2023 was funded. Over 48 per cent of the total humanitarian funds received, were utilized to enhance health response, followed by nutrition with 25.6 per cent, and WASH with 21.3 per cent mostly in the southern part of Angola.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
2,000,000
Children in need of humanitarian assistance
3,800,000
People in need of humanitarian assistance
600,000
People in need of health assistance
1,000,000
People in need of nutrition assistance
FUNDING OVERVIEW AND PARTNERSHIPS
At the beginning of 2023, UNICEF requested US$33 million to meet the urgent needs of more than 1.5 million individuals in Angola. The Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 (HAC) appeal was drafted to address the needs of 841,000 children, and 342,500 women severely affected by drought. Interventions will include the provision of essential medicines, vaccines and life-saving nutrition supplies as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, child protection, gender-based violence, health and HIV services.
As of mid-2023, Angola Country Office humanitarian interventions were funded by close to 23 per cent of the HAC appeal. Over 48 per cent of the humanitarian funds were utilized to enhance health response mostly in the southern part of Angola, followed by nutrition with 25.6 per cent, and WASH with 21.3 per cent. UNICEF received generous funding from USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, the European Commission Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, Banco Fomento de Angola, and Government of Japan. Through financial support from UN CERF (Central Emergency Response Funds), US$ 6 million was released for UNICEF and WFP to target 235,000 individuals affected by drought in Cunene, Huila, and Namibe provinces of South-Western Angola.
Severe underfunding has been a significant challenge for the emergency response in Angola in the first half of 2023. Without adequate funding, UNICEF and its partners will not be able to provide essential and life-saving services to children and women most affected by drought and economic shocks.
UNICEF remains committed to establishing effective linkages between its humanitarian action and long-term development programming, as well as to building national capacity and systems strengthening.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
Angola is vulnerable to negative impacts of global climate change. Southern parts of Angola are characterized by arid region, low precipitation, and experience extreme weather events, for instance prolonged droughts, and floods. The food security situation remains a major concern among vulnerable households.
The extreme weather events continue having considerable negative impacts on crop yields, delay of planting season, and availability of surface water, resulting in insufficient food supplies with recurrent negative impact on families, incomes, livelihoods, and their capacity of coping with additional shocks to food systems.
In addition, crop production in southwest Angola was below average in the 2022/2023 season, resulting in poor households' ability to rely on own production. Moreover, the currency depreciation and fuel price increases have aggravated the food insecurity conditions, leading to rising food prices, increased production costs and inflationary pressures within the economy.
A high rate of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) particularly among children under-five was recorded. To address the nutrition challenges, UNICEF continues to support the Angolan Government through capacity strengthening of the Ministry of Health for an adequate investment in key nutrition interventions, including: a) nutrition interventions targeting pregnant and lactating women, infants, and young children; b) food fortification programmes to address micronutrients deficiencies; c) nutrition support and treatment of SAM; and d) awareness raising to promote good nutrition practices.
Through CERF support, UNICEF and WFP combined efforts to implement a multisectoral emergency response with priorities for live-saving interventions across Nutrition, WASH, Education and Child Protection in the most-affected drought areas in the southern province of Huila. However, further sustained efforts, resources and collaboration are still needed to alleviate the humanitarian situation and promote sustainable development in the southern region.
The emergency context has had a significant impact on vulnerable families, undermining livelihoods, leading to loss of family income, increasing risks of violence, including gender-based violence, and heightened child protection concerns.