Attachments
Highlights
• 38 boreholes equipped with hand pumps and five solar pumping systems were installed in the regions of Mopti and Gao providing access to safe water to 25 600 beneficiaries.
• UNICEF Mali organized a forum in Mopti to discuss possible strategies for the reopening of 500 schools that remained closed at the end of the school year in the crisis affected regions.
• UNICEF Mali supported the Government to vaccinate 496,988 children under 5 against polio in the regions of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal.
• 14,260 children suffering from SAM, including 1,289 with complications, were admitted for treatment. UNICEF Mali continues its efforts to mobilize resources for purchasing life-saving treatment (RUTF) to ensure a national coverage. However, at this stage, there is still a gap for July-December 2017, potentially affecting over 50,000 children.
• 4 children were released from armed groups. They are currently receiving interim care pending family tracing and reunification.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Consequences of the security crisis that erupted in 2012 continue to be an obstacle for the access of populations to basic social services and the access of humanitarian organizations in crisis affected areas. Despite the efforts made by the Government of Mali and its partners, humanitarian needs have increased in many sectors. The number of people in need is estimated at 3.7 million in 2017, against 2.5 million in 2016. Among them, 3.53 million are facing food insecurity.
Access to populations in the north remains a major challenge due to frequent attacks against the national army, MINUSMA forces and humanitarian organizations. According to OCHA1, attacks on humanitarian personnel, property and infrastructure constituted 68% of the access incidents since January 2017. In addition, since 2016, ethnic clashes have been registered in the centre of Mali (Segou and Mopti regions), leading to a further degradation of the humanitarian situation in this part of the country.
As of May 2017, 51,961 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were registered in Mali (source: DNDS, DTM May 2017), of which 23% are women and 56% children. The nutrition situation remains of serious concern. In 2017, 142,000 under-five children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and about 21,300 children (or nearly 15%) are expected to also develop medical complications. UNICEF and partners aim to ensure quality treatment for at least 107,000 children, mainly through the provision and distribution of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). The number of people in need of WASH are estimated at 1.2 million, while 1.4 million of people are expected to not have access to health care, mainly in the Kidal region where 69% of health centers are non-functional. As of May 2017, almost one third of primary schools (500 out of 1,610) in 66 municipalities of Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu, Mopti and Segou affected by the security crisis remain closed, resulting in an estimate of 100,000 out-of-school children. In addition, over the reporting period, the situation of school closures in Mopti continued to deteriorate; the region accounts for nearly half (248) of the total number of schools closed. Moreover, 9 schools (5 in Gao and 4 in Timbuktu) are occupied by armed groups. Recruiting and deploying teachers is a major challenge: it is estimated that 1,634 teachers are missing in crisis-affected areas, and in particular in Kidal region, where 65% of teachers have a voluntary status.Moreover, the country is yearly exposed to natural disasters including floods and epidemics. The number of people at risk of floods is estimated at 50,000 and 15,000 are at risk of epidemics.
Humanitarian actors continued to play a critical role in supporting life-saving interventions, including by re-establishing basic social services and reinforcing social cohesion through peacebuilding at community level. Capacity building of communities to respond to and reinforce their resilience against crises, including natural hazards and conflict, remains a priority for the humanitarian community, including UNICEF.