Attachments
Highlights
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Further aftershocks in Atacames last week (5.3): the government has extended the state of exception to mid-January 2017.
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Local authorities are increasing their presence and involvement in the emergency response as the reconstruction phase evolves.
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IOM reported a decrease in the number of IDPs living in informal shelters: with 42 informal shelters closed during the reporting period.
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UNICEF´s new strategy for integrated response & recovery has been initiated in rural areas (protection, WASH, disaster risk reduction).
Humanitarian strategy
UNICEF is currently focusing on the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and sector coordination, while provision of safe water and sanitation continues in official and informal shelters when requested. UNICEF will keep conducting hygiene promotion campaigns especially in rural areas although its vector control activities, notably for the prevention of ZIKV and other mosquitospread diseases have been transferred to the regular program. Whereas UNICEF initially focused on psychosocial assistance to children, their families and first line responders at the outset of the emergency, it is important to now give priority to supporting families with protective environments and strengthening institutional and community capacity on violence prevention and response. At this stage of emergency, UNICEF is applying its methodology for tracing children out-of-school, adopted by the Government, to assure inclusion of all children in schools in the affected areas. Seven months after the earthquake, the response and recovery will be focused mainly on rural areas which have received less humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, transition strategies are also being identified in each sector to support the phases of rehabilitation, reconstruction, resilience and disaster risk reduction.