Attachments
Highlights
- Ethiopia currently hosts over one million refugees, making it the second largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, with the majority coming from South Sudan (40%) followed by Somalia (33%) and Eritrea (17%).
- According to the Education Cluster, a total of 8.31 million children are currently out of school across the country; more than 5,430 schools have closed and approximately 9,178 schools were damaged due to climate shocks and conflict.
- In May, UNICEF and partners supported the treatment of over 32,000 children with severe wasting across all regions. UNICEF also provided access to safe drinking water for more than 157,000 people through rehabilitation of existing non-functional water schemes and water trucking in drought affected regions.
- UNICEF strongly appeals to meet the significant funding gap for its Humanitarian Action for Children, which is underfunded by 88 per cent of the total US$ 535 million requirement, greatly limiting UNICEF’s ability to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, including supplies, cash, essential services and technical assistance to refugee and displaced children, adolescents, and families.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 2024 Appeal requires US$535.3 million to meet the critical humanitarian needs of children, adolescents, women, and men in Ethiopia. To date in 2024, UNICEF Ethiopia has received US$32.6 million towards the appeal, which, when combined with US$32.1 million of carryover from 2023, represents only 12 per cent of the required funding needed to reach children and their families with critical lifesaving and life-sustaining support.
UNICEF continues to appeal for support to ensure that children and their caregivers receive lifesaving support in 2024 and beyond. UNICEF expresses its sincere gratitude to the many donors who have already provided critical support towards UNICEF’s 2024 HAC, including the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Denmark, UK Aid / Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) / Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) / PRM, Japan, Ireland, Norway, German, Sweden, Denmark, and private sector donor contributions through UNICEF National Committees.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
The severe and continuous drought in the highlands and lowlands of Ethiopia is producing devastating changes and implications that are deteriorating the food security situation and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people1 , with particularly dire consequences for the lives and wellbeing of the most vulnerable populations, including children and women. According to the Ethiopian Emergency Nutrition Coordination Unit (ENCU) and Nutrition Cluster, recent surveys conducted through SMART+ methodology reveal high prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), especially in drought-affected regions such as Afar, Amhara, Oromia, and Tigray. The situation has deteriorated since last year, with an increase in SAM cases and medical complications. Areas such as Wag Hemra zone, Amhara (11.9 %), Asale zone, Afar (11%) and Degahbur Agropastoral (DAP) in Somali (16.2%), report high Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates and stunting prevalence, while Adadle woreda in Somali has a high GAM (17.3 %), but low stunting prevalence (5.9%). The survey conducted by REACH Ethiopia in the lowland areas of Arsi zone revealed a 5.4 per cent prevalence of GAM in children aged 6-59 months. This prevalence level is considered 'medium' according to global classification thresholds. However, the survey also found a significantly higher GAM prevalence of 11.6 per cent in Shenen Kolu woreda of Arsi zone.
In Amhara, 4,178 schools have been closed due to the ongoing insecurity and impact of the northern Ethiopia conflict. Approximately 89 per cent of the schools in East Gojam, West Gojam, and South Gondar zones are currently closed. In South Gondar alone, approximately 26,000 students have dropped out of school, mainly due to persistent drought and insecurity since the hostilities 1 Ethiopia | Nutrition Cluster Bulletin 2024 2 OCHA - Ethiopia Situation Report Update- 10 June 2024 began in parts of Amhara in August 2023 based on information received from the Zonal Disaster Risk Management Office. Overall, more than 4.1 million2 children are out of school, representing 35 per cent of the total in the region for the current academic year. Additionally, over 1.7 million children need scholastic materials particularly in drought-affected areas. Additionally, more than 56,000 teachers and educational personnel need psycho-social support. The humanitarian situation in West Gondar is exacerbated by limited humanitarian action due to access constraints and limited resources. Public services, including water and health, are overstretched following the influx of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers since April last year.
In May, the Tigray interim administration announced a comprehensive plan to return 690,000 displaced persons to their places of origin in Southern, Northwestern, and Western zones. The initiatives aim to mobilize resources, including support from humanitarian partners, to facilitate the return process. The timeline aligns with the mid-year meher (summer) planting season, allowing returnees to engage in livelihood activities.