Highlights:
According to the Education Cluster, over 9 million children are currently out of school across the country due to conflict, violence, natural disasters, and displacement; more than 6,000 schools, have closed and approximately 10,000 schools were damaged due to climate shocks and conflict.
As of the end of November 2024, over 9 million malaria cases including 1,267 deaths were reported from Oromia (40.9%), followed by Amhara (23.5%), South Ethiopia (9.1%), and Southwest (7.5%) regions.
In the reporting period, UNICEF has provided lifesaving treatment to more than 107,000 acutely malnourished children under five years of age across the country.
Access to safe drinking water was provided to over 571,000 people through rehabilitation of existing non-functional water schemes and provided critical water and hygiene supplies to approximately 92,000 people.
UNICEF requires US$ 535 million to support the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, including supplies, cash, essential services and technical assistance to refugee children, adolescents, and families. As of the end of September 2024, US$127 million is available, leaving 76 per cent funding gap.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia, particularly in Amhara and Oromia regions, is severely impacting the public health situation. Since January 2024, a total of 26,790 cases1 and 263 deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate of 0.98 per cent.
Currently, cholera outbreak is active in 18 woredas from six regions: Benishangul Gumuz (33.3%), Afar (27.8%), Oromia (22.2%), Somali (11.1%) and Amhara (5.6%) regions. While there has been a notable decline in cholera cases nationally, a new outbreak in Benishangul Gumuz- exacerbated by the influx of displaced individuals from Amhara - poses a significant public health threat. Although measle cases have decreased compared to last year, the risk of outbreak remains high due to the low vaccination coverage in most parts of the country which is evidenced by the high number of zero-dose children. The measles outbreak is controlled in 237 of the 249 affected woredas since January 2024, with active outbreaks remaining in only 12 woredas. Malaria has reached epidemic proportions, with over 300,000 cases reported weekly, totalling more than 9 million cases since the beginning of 2024—the highest annual figure recorded. Besides, heavy unseasonal rainfall in early November caused flooding in Shashego woreda of CE region, affecting over 16,000 people and displacing more than 3,220 across 14 kebeles. Similarly, in Oromia, flooding displaced over 3,500 individuals in Gelana woreda, damaging 296 hectares of farmland and disrupting essential services.
The education sector has also been devastated, with approximately 9 million children out of school due to conflict, natural disasters, and displacement. Over 10,000 schools, representing 18 per cent of schools across the country have been damaged by conflict and climate shocks, further reducing the availability of safe and functional learning spaces.
The highest numbers of out-of-school children are found in Amhara (4.4 million), Oromia (3.2 million) and Tigray (1.2 million) regions.
A recent SMART Plus nutrition survey in four conflict and flood-affected woredas of the Gambella region revealed a concerning Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) prevalence of 17.1 per cent, exceeding the World Health Organization's ‘critical’ threshold of ≥15 per cent. Notably, Makuey and Lare woredas reported particularly high levels of acute malnutrition, while Jor woreda, reported a significantly lower rate of 4.2 per cent. Additionally, GAM prevalence varied in Kellem Wollega and South Omo zones, with rates of 7.2 per cent and 13.8 per cent, respectively. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions to combat acute malnutrition across different regions.