Attachments
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Northeast Nigeria is currently faced with a growing humanitarian crisis with a vast number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in need of humanitarian assistance. The IDPs are living in camps and among host communities with limited access to basic social services, health care, protection, WASH, food security, livelihoods and resources, ultimately leading to unprecedented levels of malnutrition and food security. In the month of March 2019, Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States hosted an estimated 1.8 million IDPs due to insurgency. Cadre Harmonise (CH) analysis of June and August 2019 on acute food security situation had indicated more than 2.9 million people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe were classified at Crisis (Phase 3) or worse levels of acute food insecurity and required urgent food assistance. Violence and resultant displacement in northeastern Nigeria continue to undermine agricultural, market and livelihoods activities in the region, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). As a result, many conflict-affected households remain reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their daily needs, and Crisis (IPC 3) and Emergency (IPC 4) levels of acute food insecurity will persist in much of Borno, as well as parts of Adamawa and Yobe, through to August 2020. FHI 360 has been working in Nigeria for more than 30 years and has expanded its programs to respond to the humanitarian crisis through integrated WASH, health, nutrition and protection interventions.
Borno State is in North East Nigeria with geographical area of 57,799km2. Ngala, Bama, Dikwa and Damboa LGAs are among the 27 Local Government Areas (LGA) in Borno State. The nutritional situation among children less than five years in Borno State was classified as serious according to the Nutrition in Emergency Sector Working Group. The prevalence of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) in Borno State based on WHZ has been on increasing trend from 6% in 2010, 13.8% in 2012, 11.5% in 2015, 11.3% in 2016, 11.4% in 2017, 10.6% in 2018 and 11.2% in May 20191. The SMART survey was conducted in Bama (Banki), Damboa, Dikwa and Ngala LGAs. The JANFSA and NFSS round 1-7 surveys were conducted at domain level, where LGAs were aggregated into zones. Damboa LGA was included in Central Borno Zone A while Dikwa, Bama and Ngala were included in the East zone. Previous SMART surveys were conducted at Domain level for example East Borno and Central Borno. The GAM prevalence based on WHZ in East and Central Borno in May, 20192 was 12.3% and 10.4%, interpreted as serious. An increase in GAM prevalence was observed in East Borno when compared with October 2018 findings (9.9%)3 but findings is not statistically significant, while in Central Borno a slight decline was observed (11.5%). Lack of information on acute malnutrition prevalence at LGA level has been a challenge, for decision making and action. And thus FHI 360 purposely conducted SMART surveys in each of the mentioned LGAs to address the gaps and assess nutritional status of children less than five years.
Survey location
The SMART survey study was conducted in Dikwa, Bama (Banki), Ngala and Damboa LGAs of Borno State, Nigeria. Damboa, Ngala, Dikwa and Bama LGAs have an estimated area of 6,219 km² 1,465 km² 1,774 km² and 4,997 km2respectively. The population of Damboa, Ngala, Dikwa and Bama LGAs based on 2006 census was 233,200 persons, 237,071 persons, 25,300 persons and 269,986 persons respectively.
However, the population dynamics has changed over time attributed to population growth, population movement/displacements as result of insurgency and thus population from 2006 census may not be the current population of the mentioned LGAs. The map of Borno State highlighting location of surveyed LGAs is available in annex 3 of this report.