Attachments
Highlights
Following clashes between armed groups in the region of Paoua, (northern Central African Republic), which occurred in December 2017, more than 18,000 Central African Republic refugees fleeing the violence have settled in southern Chad, in the departments of Logone oriental and Mandoul.
UNICEF started responding to the needs of the refugees with the distribution of 8,000 jerrycans (to serve 4,000 households, approximatively 11,000 children) and the transfer of medical kits (2 kits IEHK to treat 2,000 patients in the healthcare centers and mobile clinics ) to the district sanitaire de Gore.
The situation is volatile as people’s livelihoods have been impacted by government austerity measures taken in December 2017 - the government is facing budgetary constraints. A general strike was called by unions, public administration (including in the sectors of Education and Health) and the private sector. Consecutively, interactions between UNICEF and some administrative entities are affected slowing down the implementation of some activities.
With 55% of the $57.8 million HAC funded in 2017, UNICEF assisted 630,000 people (including 500 000 children) out of the 850,000 targeted population.
Nevertheless 250,000 children/people (190,000 children) could not receive life-saving and life-sustaining multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance due the 45% funding gap.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
2,700,000 Children affected (UNICEF HAC 2017)
228,240 Children under 5 with Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2017 (Nutrition Cluster 2017)
144,700 People displaced (IDPs, returnees,
TCN, refugees) in the Lac Region (IOM, DTM December 2017 and UNHCR December 2017)
UNICEF Humanitarian funding needs in 2017 US$ 57.8 million
Funding available US$ 32.1 million
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Population displacement:
Following clashes between armed groups in the region of Paoua, (northern Central African Republic); 18,625 Central African Republic refugees (of which 12,339 children, 66%) fleeing violence settled in the southern Chad, in the departments of Logone occidental, Logone oriental and Mandoul. 2,574 refugees are living in camps while 16,051 are installed in host villages. An initial figure of 211 unaccompanied children were reported. UNICEF provided 8,000 jerry cans to be used in complement of UNHCR stock to assist 4,000 households (approximatively 11,000 children). Medical items (1,000 needles 5ml and 2 kits IEHK 2011 which can be used to treat 2,000 patients in healthcare centres and mobile clinics) are being sent to the health district of Gore to be used on the response as well. Protection section is collaborating with UNHCR and the NGO IHDL in order to address the needs of unaccompanied children. This new flux of refugees comes to add to the bulk of the 72,417 refugees already installed in the south of the country, stressing further the humanitarian situation in this region. In August 2017, 9.5 million USD of the CERF Underfunded allocation were oriented to cover multi-sectoral needs (Education, Nutrition, Food Security, Health and Protection) of 152,794 people (72,559 returnees, 45,000 refugees and 35,235 from the host communities) refugees and returnees in the south of Chad.
In the Lac region, 31,712 displaced persons were registered since October 2017 in addition to the 104,000 displaced people confirmed since 2015. Registration operations are continuing to confirm the status of the estimated 33,300 displaced which were not profiled so far. 9,035 Nigerian refugees1 have also been registered by UNHCR as of end of December 2017, as well as 4,634 people registered in the site of Dar el Kheir, whose status is undergoing determination.
Humanitarian Leadership and Coordination
In 2017, as per its global mandate UNICEF ensured full-fledged leadership of the WASH, Education and Nutrition clusters and of the Child Protection Sub-Cluster. In 2018, UNICEF plans to progressively transfer the leading role to Chadian government counterparts. This approach will be supported with a realistic multi-year action plan to ensure an effective and smooth transition. This plan will be ready end of first quarter 2018.
Humanitarian Strategy
In line with Chad’s 2017-2019 HRP strategic objectives, UNICEF continued to provide life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to children and their families. In 2017, nutrition interventions allowed 185,000 children under 5 diagnosed with SAM to access treatment. 244,000 people affected by emergencies gained improved access to water, sanitation and 50,100 to emergency health services. The scale up of the emergency response in the Lac Region reinforced a multisectoral package for 151,000 children, including through the promotion of early recovery, as well as the strengthening of government and civil society for community-based support for children’s rights. UNICEF also provided learning materials and access to education to 130,300 children; psychosocial support for refugees, internally displaced persons and returnee children for a total of 23,600 people; identification, tracing and reunification for 1,041 unaccompanied and separated children; and mine-risk education benefited to 27,384 people (15,608 children).
UNICEF’s efforts to bridge humanitarian and development programming remained paramount while supporting the Government’s emergency preparedness capacity and building community and institutional resilience through innovative approaches. In its action, UNICEF sought early opportunities for recovery such as moving from short-term approaches like mobile clinics to more mainstream sectoral approaches such as opening and reinforcing staffing of health facilities in displacement and return areas. In addition, UNICEF supported the government of Chad in the development of its National Contingency Plan. At community level, UNICEF put accent to building community capacity by initiatives such as setting up community based-child protection mechanisms and supporting parent-teacher associations to raise its own school budget to pay community for teachers through income-generating activities.