UNICEF Humanitarian Action: Burundi Donor Update 18 Jun 2003

URGENT NEEDS IN CHILD PROTECTION AND EDUCATION

• Frequent displacement and looting of houses further weaken the community capacity to assist children
  
  
• Combats, displacement and human rights violations deprive children from school enrolment, especially young girls

1. EMERGENCY OVERVIEW AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Humanitarian status: The decade's conflict has claimed thousands and thousands of lives and has caused enormous damage and destruction to the social infrastructure and protective mechanisms, which has increased vulnerability of Burundians to insecurity, disease and violence. UNICEF is seriously concerned over human rights violations in Burundi, particularly Ruyigi province. The most current of these human rights abuses is the systematic pillage and in many cases destruction of civilian homes. Between January and March 2003, at least 3,815 houses in Ruyigi Province are known to have been completely destroyed and a further 26,078 households have been pillaged, increasing the vulnerability of the already weakened population. In addition, schools and health centres were occupied and looted by fighting groups, preventing children from benefiting from their fundamental right to health services and education. Increasingly, there are persistent and credible reports of the occurrence of rape of girls and of women by armed men. The Ministry of Health referred to "an epidemic of rapes" in camps of internally displaced persons during a UNICEF and UNFPA supported workshop on 4 April, that was arranged in order to elaborate a plan of action for the prevention of sexual violence and assistance to victims. Representatives from the health system in all provinces confirmed cases of rape in their respective provinces, reporting victims from 6 to over 70 years old.

Presidential change: The change of President in Burundi took place on the 30 of April as Mr. Pierre Boyoya handed over power to the former vice-president Mr. Domitien Ndayizeye. Moreover, one part of the African Union force arrived in Bujumbura in April and May and the force is expected to be complete and deployed before the end of June. This force in addition to the 43 observers already deployed in Burundi and their combined presence should increase the accessibility to certain areas for humanitarian assistance and improve the security in the country. However, the cease-fire agreement between the transitional government of Burundi and the main rebel group CNDD-FDD, signed in December 2002, has been regularly violated by both sides. Consequently, internal displacement in the beginning of 2003 increased significantly compared to the monthly average in 2002.

Shelling of major towns before political change: In addition to combats in the east, north-east and the centre of the country, there has also been an increase in the number of confrontations being reported from the previously "calm" northern provinces. On 17 April, heavy fighting between rebel groups and the army caused displacement around the country. Major towns, such as Makamba in the south, Ruyigi in the east and Bujumbura, were shelled. According to Burundian press the shelling of the capital led to 10 deaths and 41 injured.

Fragile nutritional status of the population: The impact on the humanitarian situation in the country is clearly negative and stretches the capacity of the humanitarian community to respond to the needs of the displaced population. Burundi's civil war and the associated displacement, breakdown of infrastructure and pillage have left a population that has frequently lived on the brink of a nutritional catastrophe during the last few years. The impact of the volatile security situation, in provinces such as Bujumbura Rural, Ruyigi and Gitega, on the nutritional status of the population requires a close monitoring system. UNICEF co-ordinates its interventions in the nutrition sector and contributes to the early-warning system and situation analysis in co-operation with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

2. UNICEF RESPONSE: ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONSTRAINTS

Co-ordination: UNICEF continues to work in close collaboration with NGOs and local structures to provide assistance to children and women in a life-threatening situation through the establishment of five decentralised stocks and contingency plans in Ngozi, Makamba, Ruyigi, Cankuzo and Muramvya. UNICEF's emergency activities are integrated into other programme activities such as Health, Nutrition, Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES), HIV/AIDS, Education, Child Protection and the Promotion of Rights.

UNICEF conducted rapid assessments and advocacy missions in co-operation with OCHA, other UN agencies and NGOs. In strong collaboration with OCHA and other partners, de-centralised contingency plans are in various stages of development in Bubanza, Cankuzo, Gitega, Makamba and Ruyigi Provinces in order to reach the most vulnerable population. Frequent meetings within the thematic groups facilitate overall humanitarian co-ordination. UNICEF is the lead agency for WES, Education, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS.

Since January, UNICEF assisted approximately 7,000 families (35,000 people) through distributions of non-food items in the Provinces of Makamba, Gitega and Bujumbura Rural. In addition, UNICEF, in collaboration with the UN inter-agency office in Ruyigi, Action Aid and the local NGO Maison Shalom, plan to assist over 23,000 households in Ruyigi Province during the months of May and June.

Protection: In order to address human rights violations UNICEF's Representative for Burundi led a mission to Ruyigi on April 17, which included the Ambassador of Belgium and representatives from the French Embassy. Due to the crisis, hundreds of thousands of children are orphaned, regularly forced into temporary displacement or have grown up in IDP/refugee camps, all which seriously impact their rights to development, education, health and protection. Through distributions of basic relief items to the displaced population, UNICEF is supporting the most vulnerable families in providing protection, healthcare and education to their children. Non-food items (such as school supplies, plastic sheeting, blankets and cocking sets) and high protein biscuit distributions were conducted in close collaboration with NGO partners. Protection activities are mainly supported through the funds from the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, but there are also contributions from the Belgian National Committee and the US Agency for International Development/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA). UNICEF continues to advocate on all levels and strive to fulfil the basic rights of children such as safety, education and health.

The presence of mines and unexploded grenades and rockets in around 20 communes in the country threatens the civil population, in particular children whose curiosity often makes them the first to pick up those objects. UNICEF continues to support the Department of Civil Protection within the Ministry of Interior to implement prevention campaigns in the most affected areas.

Since the signature of an agreement on the demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers in October 2001 between UNICEF and the Government, UNICEF continues to support the Government in achieving this goal. With the financial support from the Governments of Belgium (regional funding) and the Netherlands, UNICEF assisted the establishment of a management group, representing five line ministries. UNICEF will continue to support the implementation of the demobilisation phase in the coming months.

HIV/AIDS: Concerned about the situation of women and girls in conflict areas such as Ruyigi and Bujumbura Rural, UNICEF organised, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and UNFPA, a workshop on 4 April within the framework of its HIV/AIDS programme. A plan of action to support victims of rape was elaborated in the workshop, including prevention, medical/psychosocial case management and judicial assistance. In addition, 60 persons from NGOs and the public sector were trained to assist victims. Prevention and post-exposure kits, including anti-retroviral and Sexually Transmitted Infections treatment inputs, have been ordered for distributions to health structures. UNICEF will support the plan of action through cooperation with partners such as the National Committee Against HIV/AIDS (CNLS), the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation (TPO) and local NGOs such as NTURENGAHO and Ligue ITEKA for counselling and juridical assistance.

UNICEF continues to support the elaboration of provincial plans for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the establishment of committees at the community-level. In order to increase sensitisation activities at community-level and within the framework of the educational system, UNICEF developed and pre-tested a module on HIV/AIDS training with 50 educational official, including teachers, school directors, etc. UNICEF also trained 48 trainers that will further train 484 community animators in Gitega, Karuzi, Muramvya and Mwaro Provinces. The establishment of youth consultations on HIV/AIDS as well as other issues related to rights violations will be a priority for UNICEF. The Government of Norway supports HIV/AIDS activities.

Education: UNICEF is working to put into school up to 12,000 children (including a minimum of 6,000 girls aged 8-10 years) from war affected provinces around the country (Bujumbura Rural, Cankuzo, Makamba and Ruyigi). The girls chosen to be included in this project are those who under normal circumstances in Burundi would never have the opportunity to go to school. Education is not only a fundamental right of Burundian children, but also a necessary link to normality for children whose lives have been shattered by the ten-year long civil war. UNICEF is providing educational support to the over 100,000 indigent children among whom many live in IDP camps or are in the process of being temporarily displaced due to fighting. These children are sometimes integrated in existing school structures and in other cases placed in temporarily schools. In addition, UNICEF initiated a co-operation with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) targeting 1,500 children with education activities and psychosocial assistance in two refugee camps for Congolese refugees in Cibitoke Province (Cishemeye I and II). Education activities have mainly been supported by the Government of the Netherlands and the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

Health/Nutrition: The high incidence of malaria in Burundi is the result of a variety of causes, including heavy rainfall following a prolonged dry period, massive population displacement and resistance to chloroquine and sulphadoxine/ pyrimethamine. According to the new protocol on malaria treatment, "artesunate + amodiaquine" should be used as first line drug treatment. In Burundi, 2.5 million malaria cases are expected annually and UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) intend to purchase 1,350,000 doses of treatment to respond to the enormous needs. Due to expensive treatment costs, all cases will be confirmed by a rapid diagnostic test (paracheck) before the provision of drugs. UNICEF also intends to distribute 400,000 mosquito nets for the protection of 200,000 pregnant women and their children. Despite generous funding from the Governments of Belgium and the Netherlands, the ECHO and the USAID/OFDA, this sector still needs additional funding in order to ensure the effective prevention/treatment of malaria. EHCO also funded the Extended Programme of Immunisation (EPI), which is an important component of UNICEF's aim to reduce child mortality and ensure a healthy development of children in the country.

There are 25 Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFC) and the 225 Supplementary Feeding Centres (SFC) scattered around the country. All of them have reported rise in the number of cases of malnutrition since the beginning of 2003, particularly in those provinces heavily affected by fighting. The harvest from January 2003 and the reinforcement of interventions and supervision led to a fragile stabilisation of the nutritional status by April 2003. Although the nutritional status of the population slowly stabilises, with 2,281 admissions to TFCs in March, the situation remains fragile due to the insecurity and the frequent looting. The number of admissions to Therapeutic Feeding Centres (TFC) in January 2003 was 3,286 compared with 1,267 in January 2002. UNICEF will continue to play a co-ordinating role in the sector and all of these centres, providing essential life-saving therapeutic food for all TFCs, and technical support & non-food items to both TFCs and SFCs in the country. As part of this, UNICEF, together with partners, is developing a strategy to support nutritional activities at a community-level. Within the 2003 CAP UNICEF received funding from the Government of the Netherlands, ECHO and USAID/OFDA for its health and nutrition activities.

Water and Environmental Sanitation: UNICEF, with ECHO's support, will provide drinking water to over 40,000 people in IDP areas, one health centre and 4 primary schools in Makamba Province through the rehabilitation of five gravity-fed water distribution systems. UNICEF will sensitise around 1,200 IDP families on the use of family latrines and improve the hygiene in nine primary schools through sensitisation activities and the rehabilitation of sanitation systems. With Swedish Government's support, UNICEF will rehabilitate one gravity-fed water distribution system in Bujumbura Rural to benefit some 4,600 people, one primary school and one health centre. Norwegian funding will contribute to the rehabilitation of hygiene and environmental sanitation systems, and distribution of non-food item in IDP camps in Makamba Province. The Government of the Netherlands is supporting UNICEF in providing the temporarily displaced people with drinking water and in rehabilitating one gravity-fed water distribution systems targeting 10,000 IDPs in Makamba. UNICEF will continue its water and sanitation interventions to control epidemics of cholera among the displaced population and in the areas most affected. Activities are carried out in close co-operation with partners such as IRC and the National Office for Hydraulics and Rural Energies (DGHER). One of the major challenges has been the insecurity in these areas, which threatens to delay implementation.

3. APPEAL REQUIREMENTS AND RECEIPTS

Within the framework of the 2003 UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Burundi, UNICEF requested US$ 19,736,250 to address the most urgent needs of children and women in Burundi. Receipts to-date for the Appeal amount to some US$ 5.6 million which leaves a funding gap of US$ 14,1 million. The tables below indicate the current status of contributions received, by sector and by donor.

4. IMPACT OF UNDER-FUNDING AND CURRENT PRIORITIES

In Burundi, the rights of children to education and protection are often violated due to displacement, occupation of schools and poverty. The most vulnerable children are those living in IDP camps or frequently being displaced (as in the Moso area, Ruyigi Province). They represent an important target group for UNICEF's activities and their needs are addressed through the protection project "Reintegration of children in situations of displacement in Burundi". Other vulnerable children are those who have lost their parents due to the conflict or due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and thousands who are used as child soldiers. UNICEF continues to support community assistance for these children through the project "Support of community assistance for extremely vulnerable children". These children are traumatised and prevented from a life in security and protection. Their only chance to normality and a safe haven is often school. UNICEF stresses in its regular education programme the need for children to go to school and protection activities are also integrated in the education programme make schooling accessible to the most vulnerable.

UNICEF urgently needs additional funding to support the fulfilment of children's right to education and community assistance. This includes not only school supplies and the rehabilitation/rebuilding of schools, but also educational activities during the summer break in order to enable the children who have been frequently displaced to catch-up their studies. UNICEF also needs funding to strengthen the most vulnerable families through the distribution of non-food items in order to allow families to rebuild their lives and restore their looted and destroyed houses.

In the case of under-funding, these children will be further left behind and will encounter more difficulties in recuperating and in reintegrating into society. UNICEF needs to order school material for the new school year, that starts in September, in order to ensure a timely response targeting over 140,000 indigent children.

Details of the Burundi Programme can be obtained from:

Malick Sene
UNICEF Representative
Burundi
Tel: + 257 22 68
Fax: + 257 22 51 90
E-mail: msene@unicef.org

Olivier Degreef
UNICEF EMOPS
Geneva
Tel: + 41 22 909 5546
Fax: + 41 22 909 5902
E-mail: odegreef@unicef.org

Dan Rohrmann
UNICEF PFO
New York
Tel: + 1 212 326 7009
Fax: + 1 212 326 7165
E-mail: drohrmann@unicef.org