Attachments
Total affected population: 500,000
Total affected children (under 18): 250,000
Total people to be reached in 2016: 400,000
Total children to be reached in 2016: 200,000
2016 programme targets
Nutrition
- 48,500 children under 5 years with SAM benefitted from therapeutic feeding programmes
Health
-
46,000 children under 5 years vaccinated against measles
-
100 per cent of people diagnosed with cholera treated
-
175,000 children under 15 years and pregnant women provided with essential drugs
WASH
-
161,500 people accessed clean and safe water (7.5-15 litres per person per day)
-
280,000 children and their families provided with hygiene education and information
Child protection
-
8,000 most vulnerable children have daily access to care and psychosocial support through the establishment of 50 child-friendly spaces/centres
-
A functioning monitoring and reporting system on grave rights violations and other serious protection concerns established in all affected areas
Education
-
75,000 emergency-affected children accessed quality education
-
1,500 teachers trained on education in emergencies
Communication and participation
- 100,000 children benefited from peace, social mobilization and life skills education
One of the poorest countries in the world, Burundi is facing civil unrest and violence following the April 2015 announcement that the President would run for a third term. In addition to internal displacement, the ensuing political crisis, volatile security situation and sharp economic deterioration have led more than 220,000 people to seek asylum in neighbouring countries, placing further strain on coping mechanisms. An acute protection crisis has also emerged, with fears of further deterioration. Children, who make up half of Burundi’s population, are suffering disproportionately. Their safety and protection against all forms of violence, exploitation and family separation must be assured. Given the worrying levels of chronic malnutrition among children in Burundi, nutrition interventions must be scaled up in 2016. According to the post-election inter-agency contingency plan, within Burundi, an estimated 400,000 people, including 200,000 children, will likely require humanitarian assistance in the coming months. Burundi is highly dependent on aid, with 49.5 per cent of its state budget externally financed. The suspension of aid flows, coupled with rapid economic decline, has left children to bear the brunt of the crisis. Access to social services, including education, health care, nutrition, water and sanitation, has been impacted.
Humanitarian strategy
UNICEF is collaborating with national and international partners to facilitate emergency response and build resilience. The UNICEF preparedness and response strategy aims to support existing programmes, such as the management of cholera and severe acute malnutrition (SAM), at community and facility levels. UNICEF is co-leading the emergency sectors of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and education, as well as the child protection sub-sector group. UNICEF actively advocates for the protection of children, promotes peacebuilding, provides children with psychosocial support, coordinates efforts to provide access to safe water and sanitation, and ensures children’s access to education, especially for those who are displaced. To avoid the collapse of social service systems, UNICEF is supporting national health care programmes (most notably to ensure the availability of essential drugs), nutrition services, quality education and WASH services. UNICEF closely monitors resource allocation to social sectors and is advocating for the continuation of assistance to Burundi’s most vulnerable children and families to ensure the ongoing protection and well-being of children throughout the country. Communication for Development will continue to be employed as a cross-cutting approach. UNICEF will also assess the possibility of introducing a cash transfer programme targeting the most deprived and affected populations to achieve programme results in all sectors.
Results from 2015
As of 31 October 2015, UNICEF had received 47 per cent (US$4.1 million) of the US$8.7 million 2015 appeal, in addition to US$419,972 carried forward from 2014 and US$896,000 from the Burundi refugee response for returnees. UNICEF and partners contained a cholera outbreak following the return of Burundian refugees in July 2015 (181 cases of cholera and five deaths reported), though cholera broke out again in other provinces. UNICEF distributed water bladders, cholera prevention and treatment kits and led a cholera prevention and hygiene promotion campaign that reached 57,500 people. UNICEF supported the Ministry of Health to mitigate the risk of stock-outs of essential drugs by covering priority needs in over 900 health facilities, covering 1.66 million children under 5 years and 464,000 pregnant women. SAM management was provided at the community and facility levels, with over 20,000 severely malnourished children under 5 years admitted into therapeutic feeding programmes between January and August 2015. Some 223,850 children were vaccinated against measles as part of the routine programme. UNICEF reached 250,000 children through the Back-to-School campaign and 28 child-friendly spaces were established to provide psychosocial support to 4,700 children in Bujumbura. UNICEF also worked to strengthen monitoring and reporting on grave violations against children. Following UNICEF advocacy, the President pardoned 53 children charged with involvement in armed groups. UNICEF supported their interim care and education, and plans for their reintegration are in place.