1. CRITICAL ISSUES FOR CHILDREN
The worst flooding in more than 20 years has affected 14 out of the 23 provinces of Ecuador. On January 31 the Government declared the emergency situation for 9 provinces; on February 20, the emergency decree was extended to national level, stating the 'Exceptional Situation' and facilitating the army to intervene. To date, the Government has officially declared the deaths of 19 persons due to the floods. 5 of them are children under 18, 2 children are under the age of 1. The country has suffered heavy damages in the productive area (around 114,400 hectares have been affected and US$ 82 million were lost in crops), and infrastructure. The total population affected by the floods is around 3.5 million which represents 27% of the total population. 315,000 persons have been directly affected, and 16,000 persons have been displaced to shelters. Among the displaced are 8,000 children and adolescents who are at risk of exposure to diseases, abuse or exploitation, and have limited access to food, safe drinking water and essential medicines.
To date, the Government has allocated US$ 45 million to the emergency response. Five national institutions are in charge of responding to the emergency: Coordinating Ministry of Internal and External Security, the Ministry of the Coastal Region, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion, and the AGECI, Agency for International Cooperation. Their main actions involve relocating affected people to temporary shelters and providing them with food, medicines and water supplies. So far, 305 shelters have been set up. National army personnel are helping to evacuate victims.
According to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, rains will continue and in some provinces even increase. It is expected that the situation will extend until May. The greatest risks are yet to come, as the country lacks a risk management plan and the resources required to cope with the situation. Following the immediate distribution of relief, affected families (mostly peasants and small farmers), are often left to themselves despite having lost critical household assets and stocks, social infrastructure and access to public services (including education).
Almost half of the affected population consists of children and adolescents who require urgent assistance and protection to survive and recover from physical and emotional trauma.
UNICEF, together with other humanitarian partners on the ground, is working closely with the Government of Ecuador to respond to the emergency. An UNDAC mission is currently evaluating the situation and helping to reinforce governmental coordination. In order to respond to the most urgent needs of children and women in the areas of health, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, child protection and psychosocial support, UNICEF is requesting US$ 800,000.