Liberia Humanitarian Situation Update No. 47

GENERAL SITUATION
Combined humanitarian efforts continued today, addressing both immediate emergency and long-term needs. Particular importance has been placed on ensuring IDPs and refugees are able to return to their homes as soon as possible. The rehabilitation of health services and educational institutions is a vital component in encouraging their eventual return. The gradual resumption of electricity-flow in Monrovia should improve living conditions for many, and reinvigorate commercial activity and employment opportunities in the capital. Benefits will also eventually filter into outlying rural and regional areas.

HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES BY SECTOR

1. Harper Mission

a) The situation in Harper is calm. MODEL estimate the current population of Harper is 3,000 people (concentrated on the western outskirts of the city). The city does not have power. The use of wells (not necessarily providing potable water) is meeting current requirements, supplemented by five hand-operated water pumps citywide. Harper Hospital has been totally looted. The majority of the staff have not returned. There does not appear to be any outbreak of disease. Until larger numbers of civilians return, assessment of shelter and rehabilitation needs cannot be adequately undertaken. Many homes are vacant, although badly damaged.

b) All visited health facilities have been extensively looted and majority of health care personnel have fled. A "MODEL clinic" is operating in Harper by two MODEL personnel who claimed to be nurses. The clinic is located in a house in the centre of the town, and majority of medical materials seem to originate from the hospital. Drugs are bought from Cote d'Ivoire. Non-MODEL medical personnel present in Harper have to buy a license from the MODEL authorities before they can practice. There about 15 trained health workers from the J.J. Dossen Hospital that currently reside in Harper. With minimal structural repairs on the hospital building and drug and medical supplies, they could begin basic outpatient health services to the general public. In Pleebo, the MERCI Support Clinic is intact, but looted. It will take at least two trained nurses, a midwife and drugs and medical supplies to reopen the clinic to provide health services, which are much needed.

c) There were no visual malnutrition cases in the communities around Harper and Pleebo. In Wlebo Refugee Camp, however, several visually malnourished children were seen. There are also many children that should be immunized against measles in this camp and in the countyside.

2. Food Aid

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) implementing partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) distributed a total of 96 Mt of assorted commodities (79.8 Mt of cereals, 9.5 Mt of pulses, 5.7 Mt of vegetable oil, 1 Mt of Salt) to 6,325 IDPs in Buchanan yesterday. According to reports, the first general distribution to Buchanan was carried out successfully with no security incidents reported. The distribution continues today, and is the first part of a general food distribution targeting 32,000 people in the city of Buchanan. WFP have also commenced food distributions this week to tens of thousands of displaced Liberians, and refugees from Sierra Leone, in camps outside Monrovia.

3. Health and Nutrition

a) The United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) informed UNICEF of the rationale behind the rehabilitation of six (6) strategic hospitals next year located in Zwedru, Harper, Phebe hospital, Voinjama and Tubmanburg. A joint agreement with UNICEF means that their plans to rehabilitate approximately 20 Public Health Centres (PHC), will follow the same framework. The objective is to ensure adequate health and educational facilities exist in each county, thereby facilitating the return of IDPs presently sheltered in and around Monrovia.

b) The Nutrition Sub-Committee met this afternoon. UNICEF and WHO presented a draft protocol on supplementary feeding for review. Working groups for specific technical areas were established. WHO was appointed Chair of the technical working group on assessment, surveys, monitoring and evaluation. A working group of advocacy, chaired by the Ministry of Health, was also created.

c) Further to the findings of assessment missions conducted in Tubmanburg by UNICEF and WHO, indicating a rise in severe malnutrition rate, WFP is cooperating with MSF France on undertaking therapeutic feeding and supplementary feeding programmes.

4. IDPs

A United Nations inter-agency meeting was held today, including representatives of IDPs in Monrovia shelters and Camp Managers. Discussions centred on food shelter and protection. According to the participants, most of the IDPs are ready to move to the camps but are sceptical of camp security arrangements. Water and sanitation standards, it was deemed, would require improvement in some camps, if they are to adequately serve the needs of additional IDPs. There are health service providers in all the camps except Jatondo and Wilson IDP camps. International Medical Corps started a clinic in Wilson camp today [18 September]. Save the Children United Kingdom have expressed an interest in operating at the Jatondo camp.

COMMON SERVICES

5.Common Access

The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Liberia conducted a mission to Sierra Leone and assessed road conditions for travel through the border. Mission members went to Zimi and described the road condition as disastrous. A 5 Km stretch between Zimi and Bo Waterside was particularly bad. UNHCR began work to repair the road today, which may take 3-4 weeks.

6. Civil Military Coordination

The Civil Military Coordination Officer has sought additional emergency contact details from ECOMIL given that their Emergency Operations Centre is not manned on a 24-hour basis. The emergency contact numbers for ECOMIL are 530 172 and 530 373.

7. Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC)

A 15 sheet county map series was produced and is available on hard copy from the HIC office, Monrovia, Liberia, and as a PDF file on the www.humanitarianinfo.org/liberia Website. Please visit the website for the entire range of products available.