UNICEF Burundi Humanitarian Situation Report No. 9, December 2024

Highlights

• El Niño has wreaked havoc across Burundi, with 47 reported dead, over 298,222 people affected from January to June 2024 and almost 47,915 displaced people due to torrential rains and floods. With the start of the minor rainy seasons in September 2024, more than 126,308 people were affected. Floods and displacement contributed to a sharp increase in cholera cases (+69% in comparison to 2023), with 764 cases reported in 2024.
• UNICEF ensured immunization and adequate medical treatment of 108,492 children, adolescents, and women affected by floods, including through mobile clinics in IDP sites, as well as the provision of cholera kits for the treatment of 800 cases in two Cholera Treatment Centers in Bujumbura.
• UNICEF provided life-saving treatment to 2,853 severely malnourished children in flood-affected zones. In addition, 116,022 children were screened for early malnutrition detection and referred for treatment, and 53,017 caregivers were sensitized to optimal infant and young child feeding practices.
• Water trucking and extension and rehabilitation of existing water networks allowed 91,931 people in IDP sites and host communities to have access to safe drinking water. That support, combined with improved sanitation services, contributed to enhance hygiene, and reduce the transmission of water borne diseases, including cholera.
• UNICEF provided 13,266 school children in flooded areas with learning materials. In addition, 4,586 learners could continue their education in a conducive environment, thanks to the set-up of 33 temporary learning spaces.
• UNICEF reached 32,638 people, including 25,897 children, with psychosocial support and mental health services. Additionally, 1,491 vulnerable children benefited from case management and access to multisectoral services (medical care, psychosocial support, individualized case management and referral to other services as needed). Of these, 258 unaccompanied and separated children benefitted from alternative care and family reunification.
• UNICEF supported 1,198 people in 40 savings groups in the Mubimbi IDP site through a one-time cash transfer that enabled them to start up income-generating activities, thus contributing to their resilience.

Funding Overview and Partnerships

UNICEF’s Internal Response Plan for El Niño requires US$ 8 million1 to deliver life-saving services to women and children impacted by the El Niño-induced natural disasters. In 2024, UNICEF received US$ 2,088,293 toward this goal. We sincerely thank all donors, including the Government of Japan, USAID/BHA, and CERF/OCHA, for their generous contributions. However, significant humanitarian needs persist, and Burundi’s response to natural disasters remains critically underfunded.

Thanks to internal resource investments made as early as October 2023, UNICEF was well-prepared for the rainy season. This proactive allocation of supplies and procurement allowed the organization to rapidly respond to the most vulnerable communities affected by El Niño, whose impact has been particularly severe throughout 2024. The Government of Japan has also provided essential funding to address the ongoing cholera outbreak, which has worsened due to El Niño. This timely support has helped prevent a more severe escalation of cholera and other infectious diseases during the heavy rainy season and subsequent floods.

UNICEF continues to appeal to partners for additional funding to respond to the El Niño-driven floods and landslides, which have had a devastating impact on children and their families. Inflation, an ongoing economic crisis, and the limited capacity of humanitarian actors in Burundi further challenge the response. Even small shocks are creating disproportionate hardships for vulnerable families. Timely and flexible funding is urgently needed, particularly in the key sectors of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Health, Nutrition, Social Protection, and Child Protection.

Moreover, the Government of Burundi declared an Mpox outbreak on July 25, 2024, following confirmation of three cases by the National Reference Laboratory. On August 21, 2024, UNICEF activated a Level 3 Corporate Emergency scale-up in countries affected by Mpox outbreaks caused by the virus. From July 22 to December 31, 2024, there have been 2,975, confirmed cases of Mpox (48% women and girls), with one death reported and over 5,980 suspected cases across 46 out of 49 districts.2 Since the epidemic declaration, UNICEF has provided technical and financial support to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in developing the National Multisectoral Mpox Response Plan (approved on August 6, 2024) and National Guidelines for Mpox Management. Based on the approved plan and additional needs identified, especially for children affected by Mpox, UNICEF developed its multisectoral response plan aimed to address critical needs in isolation and case management as well as the continuity of primary health care services, nutrition, child protection, WASH/Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) including mitigation. UNICEF Burundi's multisectoral response plan aims to scale up support for those affected by the Mpox epidemic, with an appeal for US$6.4 million to provide essential services for children and affected communities for a six-month period. In 2024, UNICEF has mobilized and allocated US$5.3 million to implement Mpox response interventions, leaving US$1.1 million — or 17% — still to be raised to fully implement this first response plan, which is currently under review to include new needs emerging from the expansion of the epidemic to more districts outside of Bujumbura.