UNICEF Guinea donor update 08 Mar 2004

UNICEF HUMANITARIAN ACTION GUINEA

• Over 100,000 Guinean workers return to Guinea from Côte d'Ivoire during last year, over 50,000 totally dependent on host communities and humanitarian aid for their subsistence
• Refugee numbers climb to over 110,000 in Guinea despite Sierra Leonean repatriations over last year
• Further funding needed to protect women and children from violence and provide water to war torn areas

1. EMERGENCY OVERVIEW AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Guinea remains a major stabilising factor in the West Africa sub-region as four of its six neighbours have experienced war or serious disruption in the last few years. This stability has resulted in large population movements into and through the country during 2003, placing further strain on an already weak and overburdened infrastructure. Over 100,000 Guinean workers returned from Cote d'Ivoire to Guinea during 2003, of whom at least 50,000 remain totally dependent on host communities for their subsistence. Over 70,000 Liberians fleeing the bloodshed in Liberia have entered Guinea and now reside in refugee camps in the south. And despite the limited success of repatriation programmes for Sierra Leonnean refugees, the refugee population as a whole has actually increased to over 110,000 people today.

The country faces a complex emergency with insufficient resources to cope with a wide variety of needs. Host communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) require more attention and assistance, as donor aid tends more towards the needs of refugees. There is weak capacity at all levels of the government and existing infrastructures need intensive capacity building at all levels. Social tensions remain high in the country as a whole as price rises in fuel and food continue apace.

Protection issues continue to be severely under-funded especially in the areas of demobilisation, and gender-based violence and abuse, with some projects in danger of suspension without further support. Malaria prevention is a major focus in 2004 and significant input is needed to reach the targeted figure of 500,000 people. Schools continue to be understaffed, under-equipped and under-funded, while at least 100 new classrooms need to be built immediately to help target over 30,000 children without access to any schooling at all.

On the positive side, much needed peace has held in the wider region for the last few months, a fragile peace has held in Côte d'Ivoire, peace and stability are returning to Liberia, and the Guinean Presidential elections passed off peaceably with the investiture of the Head of State taking place in January 2004 for his third term. However, the political and economic situation is fragile and continued donor interest and support is essential to help implement sustainable interventions and retain the fragile peace in the region.

2. UNICEF RESPONSE IN 2003

PROTECTION

Demobilisation and reintegration

The first group of 348 former young defense volunteers enrolled in the demobilisation and reintegration programme (started up with Norwegian government funds), are close to completing their vocational training. A recent survey in military garrisons across the country has identified a further 6,200 young volunteers awaiting demobilisation.

To prevent further recruitment and protect children in armed conflict, UNICEF, with the Committee for Demobilisation and Reintegration, trained 862 officers and 450 local leaders on the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict. The training acted as a catalyst at the Ministry of Defence, which agreed to create child protection committees in each of its 4 military regions and committed not to recruit children and to protect those they may confront in battle.

Separated and unaccompanied children

UNICEF, in partnership with International Rescue Committee (IRC) and with funds from the UK National Committee, contributed to the identification and monitoring of 1,385 refugee children (612 girls) living outside the camps. A total of 964 (including 430 girls) were reunified. The majority of these children are Sierra Leonean.

Stress Trauma Management

The UK National Committee and French government funding enabled UNICEF, in partnership with 'Action by Churches Together', to provide counseling and occupational therapy to 474 children and women who were suffering trauma as a result of the atrocities or violence they experienced (306 children of which 163 were girls and 143 boys).

Given the success of the learning through play activities conducted in Guinean schools hosting 2,500 war affected Guinean and refugee children in the Kissidougou and Guekedou area, the programme is being expanded to more schools to reach a further 3,200 children. This was made possible with SIDA (Swedish International Development Agency) funding received in 2003.

Combating sex and gender-based violence (SGBV)

Over 54,000 refugees, community leaders and NGO staff were trained on SGBV prevention and care of victims in the camps, contributing to a 33% reduction in gender based violence reported between 2002 and 2003. 596 women in Nzerekore made use of the safe spaces provided through the UNICEF/IRC partnership and 1,320 people (251 men) sought the advice of community workers on gender-based violence matters.

Legal assistance was provided to 118 victims of SGBV in 2003 through a legal clinic system supported by UNICEF in the camps (supported by SIDA and Italian funding). French government funds have enabled UNICEF to support the opening of 6 drop-in centres and train 32 staff to operate them. So far 280 Guinean women and children have benefited from this service.

HEALTH

Vaccination campaigns

UNICEF, with its partners WHO, USAID, UN Foundation, American Red Cross and Guinea Red Cross, has carried out three mass immunization campaigns in the last 12 months. The first to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus and achieved a coverage rate of 92% in 8 health districts for women of childbearing age. The second (against measles) reached a 97% coverage rate in 33 health districts targeting children 9 months to 14 years old. The third (against yellow fever) reached 84% of those aged over nine months in 3 health districts.

In addition to the national vaccination campaigns, seven dedicated health teams supported by UNICEF have vaccinated all 16,000 refugees/returnee/displaced children aged 9 months to 14 years entering at border points in the Forest region in 2003. There has been a 50%reduction in the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases, specifically measles and the wild polio virus.

Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses

Over 31,000 impregnated bed nets for 21,000 under-5 children and 10,587 pregnant women were supplied by UNICEF (with CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency), in a pilot project in Forecariah and Kissidougou. This provision has resulted in a decrease in reported cases of malaria by 40% in the same area.

HIV/AIDS

Eight Mother-to-Child transmission (MTCT) sensitisation sites were established in Conakry and Forecariah to help tackle HIV among youth.

WATER AND SANITATION

UNICEF has provided 10,000 jerry cans and 50,000 soaps to displaced populations. Regular water analysis has been carried out in the camps and surrounding villages and treated water where necessary. 400 family latrines and 60 public latrines have been constructed for the 6,000 villagers living near the camps.

EDUCATION

UNICEF has supplied educational supplies and recreational kits for 18,000 children in total in 2003. In partnership with WFP, educational supplies have been provided for 10,000 IDP and returnee children in N'Zerekore prefecture.

UNICEF has supported the construction and the equipping of 40 classrooms and 30 pre-school centres for 4,000 IDPs and 2,000 refugee children, and provided rehabilitation and equipment for 12 classrooms, 6 pre-school centres and 8 playgrounds. Tents and shelters, and educational and recreational kits have been provided for 15,000 refugee children in Nzérékoré and 1,000 in Kissidougou. UNICEF also supported the reconstruction of Pamelap's primary school (9 classrooms) and the construction of two early childhood care centres in the prefecture of Forécariah for returnees (in collaboration with the national NGO Fraternelle de Developpement).

Together with Save the Children, UNICEF has trained 50 teachers on emergency education techniques for community run schools and initiated a back to school project for 961 refugee children from Ivory Coast in the Nonah camp. The activities included the provision of benches, textbooks and other school supply, and teacher training.

The table below shows donor contributions received in 2003 (of a total appeal of US$ 6,073,728). UNICEF is thankful to the governments of Sweden and the UK and for their generous contributions to support its humanitarian activities in Guinea. In addition, US$ 450,000 was reprogrammed from regular resources.

3. PRIORITY ACTION IN 2004

Programme activities are ongoing/planned in the following sectors:

CHILD PROTECTION

Demobilization and reintegration:

Enroll a further 1,000 ex-combatants in the demobilisation and reintegration programme and ensure the social and economic reintegration of the 348 currently enrolled in the programme.

Provide training on the optional protocol on children in armed conflict to an additional 250 officers in the 9 remaining military garrisons.

Set-up child protection committees in each of the 4 military regions.

Separated and unaccompanied children:

Continue identification, family tracing and protection activities for out of camp children with a special emphasis on identifying children living with and exploited by host families.

Seek durable solutions for children for whom family tracing is no longer an option, in collaboration with UNHCR, IRC, ICRC and government authorities.

Combating sexual exploitation and violence:

Start night counseling activities in Nzerekore for women sex workers and provide care for their children.

Provide skills training and alternative income generating activities to vulnerable women and those forced to sell sex to survive in Kissidougou and Nzerekore.

Strengthen the capacity of local trauma counselors and develop income generating activities for female victims of trauma and violence in the camps.

Strengthen current mechanisms for legal recourse and referral.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

While planned for 2004, the implementation of the following activities heavily depends on the availability of funds:

Immunization:

Provide a full range of immunisation activities targeting measles, yellow fever and meningitis and provide vaccines, syringes and cold chain facilities to health posts and health centres.

Support monitoring and surveillance activities especially with regards to potentially epidemic diseases and care for malnourished children in 39 Community Child Daycare Centers, 150 schools (selected as part of the Initiative pour l'Education des Filles en Afrique) and 30 convergence zone schools. Focus on school-based health interventions including mass immunization against tetanus for school children in target areas.

Maternal mortality reduction:

Strengthening the community based committees and supply of hospital equipment in Kindia, community sensitization to help reduce neonatal mortality reduction through the provision of medical kits, impregnated bed nets and training of 200 health workers in primary healthcare, malaria, immunisation, nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention.

HIV/AIDS:

Conduct mass sensitisation campaigns to prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS including MTCT and extending the campaign to Kissidougou which has a high-density population including 3 refugee camps.

Provision of HIV testing kits and training/supervision for staff at MTCT centres.

Nutrition:

Vitamin A supplementation for all children aged under five throughout the country and those post-partum in the refugee camps.

Support for child growth monitoring and care for malnourished children in 120 community based health centres in the emergency zone.

WATER AND SANITATION

Sinking of new wells equipped with hand pumps.

Development of new wells using solar pumps for the war torn village of Pamlap where 10,000 people live among the rubble by day.

Chemical treatment of wells to reduce the risk of bacteriological pollution.

Sanitation training on the safe use of drinking water in the villages through 'Radio Rurale', broadcast in relevant local languages in Lower Guinea and the Forest region.

Supply of drinking water to schools and community training centres.

Construction of separate latrines for girls and boys at schools and pre-school centres.

EDUCATION

Provide 60,000 textbooks for Guinean and Ivorian students (3 courses: Mathematics, Science and Language);

Ensure educational and administrative training of 3,000 teachers; including psychosocial care to traumatized children.

Produce and distribute educational aids for 300 students and 2,000 displaced and refugee teachers.

Support five vocational centres for training 600 youths in Forecariah, Kissidougou, and Guekedou.

Build/rehabilitate/equip 100 classrooms in the prefectures of Guekedou, Kissidougou, and Macenta.

Support consciousness raising and social mobilisation of youth in schools and local communities for prevention of STI/AIDS.

2004 APPEAL REQUIREMENTS

The table below presents the funding requirements for humanitarian activities in 2004.

4. IMPACT OF UNDER-FUNDING AND CURRENT PRIORITIES

1) Demobilisation

Underfunding has hindered the enrollment of additional ex-combatants into the programme and threatened the economic and social reintegration of ex-combatants already in the programme. Immediate funding is needed to enroll a further 1,000 in the programme in 2004. (6,200 are awaiting demobilisation). These young people, experienced in handling weapons, are attractive to armed groups looking to recruit new soldiers, but they also present a threat to the civilian population.

2) Unaccompanied children

Funding is urgently needed to prevent the 1,385 children currently being monitored and benefiting from protection and tracing activities from being abandoned, though many more children are believed to be residing in host family homes and used as domestics. At current funding levels it was not thought prudent to expand the identification component for fear of not being able to follow through with concrete action.

3) SGBV

Limited funding means that the prevention and response to SGBV and psychosocial assistance to victims of trauma has been limited to areas hosting refugees. Areas most affected are income generating activities, night counseling, care of the children of Liberian sex workers living out of camps currently enrolled in skills training programmes, and the expansion of occupational therapy to victims of trauma.

4) Health and Water

The importance of continued immunisations for communities both nationally and in the emergency zones is clear. In addition, the health and nutrition status of 10,000 people in the area and village of Pamelap, destroyed by the war, is precarious and the rapid provision of clean water and sanitation is essential in the region.

5) Education for displaced and refugee children.

With only limited funds having been available in 2003 there is a serious shortfall of resources. A large number of children are still out of school. Additional resources for 2004 are urgently needed to ensure access to education for 30,000 children.

Further details of the Guinea Emergency Programme can be obtained from:

Marcel Rudasingwa
Representative
Republic of Guinea
Tel: + 224 22 87 46/47
Fax: + 874 762 359 216
Email:mrudasingwa@unicef.org

Olivier Degreef
UNICEF EMOPS
Geneva
Tel: + 41 22 909 55 46
Fax: + 41 22 909 59 02
Email: odegreef@unicef.org

Dan Rohrmann
UNICEF PFO
New York
Tel: + 1 212 326 7009
Fax: + 1 212 326 71
Email: drohrmann@unicef.org