11-24 March, 2003
General situation
Over 400 polling stations were opened on 23 March in Chechnya for voting. According to Abdul-Kerim Arsakhanov, chairman of the election commission, 540,445 voters were registered in Chechnya. In the voting list, servicemen of military units permanently stationed in Chechnya were also included. According to Russian media two polling stations were installed in Ingushetia for the IDPs still living there. More than 80% of the registered electors cast their vote on Sunday, according to the Moscow Time.
On Saturday the press service of the Russian President reported to RIA Novosti that Vladimir Putin signed a decree to appoint Ziayvidi Zaurbekov chairman of the Chechen Supreme court for six years. A special RIA Novosti correspondent in Grozny reports that Ziayvidi Zaurbekov enjoys authority among Chechen judges.
UNICEF Intervention - Update
Education
Schools
School spring-break started in Chechnya on 18 March instead of usual schedule of 25 March due to the referendum. Many schools have been used as polling stations with necessary established security measures. Parents, afraid of possible attacks during polling campaign, kept their children at home. Reportedly, some people decided to move out to Ingushetia at least for one week for security reasons.
According to the last update of UNHCR and DRC survey the number of IDPs residing in Ingushetia is 92,545 persons. People living in the tented camps are 14,725 (15.9%), 27,330 (29.5%) in spontaneous settlements, and 50,490 (54.6%) with host families. As of March 2003, there are 9,731 IDP students attending NGO-run alternative schools in Ingushetia and 403 teachers providing them with classes. During the period 15 February / 15 March, 216 school children returned to Chechnya (over 2% of all IDP students).
The local Fire Department has been carrying out a survey in UNICEF supported tent schools. For safety reasons, recommendations and specials instructions were given to all school administrative staff to pay special attention to the maintenance school facilities in accordance with the fire safety regulations applied to tented and wooden schools in the camps and spontaneous settlements. IRC has reported that special steel protection bars had been installed around the gas heaters and fire extinguishers recharged in all their schools. It should be noted that these preventive measures are very important after number of fire cases in public facilities of Ingushetia due to the gas pressure fluctuation observed throughout the winter.
Six open lessons have been organized in CPCD-run "Omega" school on teaching methods and methodologies in alternative schools. Teachers of primary education participated in open classes and discussed about new methods and their concerns for teaching and learning practices in IDP schools. It has been a good opportunity for the IDP schools' teaching staff to share their experiences, constraints and possible solutions to them.
Children from IDP schools, particularly CPCD-run schools, have actively participated in the drawing contest "World without tears" which was organized by the local NGO "Mountain Spring". The winners of the contest will be supported to study in Art School in Moscow.
The Czech NGO PINF, UNICEF implementing partner, has carried out an assessment in schools No14 and No16 in Grozny on school attendance of children from nearby located TACs. According to the assessment, there are 59 children from TACs in school No14 and 180 children in school No16 respectively. The results of the assessment show that the academic performance of these children is very low. Also, teachers complain about the lack of discipline, sometimes aggressive behaviour of these newly enrolled children. It has been recommended that school administration and teachers, jointly with NGOs, should pay attention to the provision of psychosocial counselling and rehabilitation to these children. After school holidays UNICEF is planning to have consultations with PINF and CARE International on the integration of TAC children into regular schooling process and necessary educational assistance in this area.
UNICEF has been encouraging youth participation in different aspects of its educational programme. Thirty one youth leaders from IRC run schools have been mobilised in delivering services to younger children as well as in distribution of UNICEF supplied jackets, shoes and stationery under the management of NGO. They also actively provide support to primary school age children, organise recreational activities, sport contests and issue of school newspapers. The youth leaders are working together with parents committees to improve education and attendance rate and work with adolescents who need support.
NGOs such as HWA has started small refurbishments in IDP schools, putting gravel in schoolyard, fixing electricity wiring, and improving hygienic conditions inside schools through provision of new appliances.
With upcoming spring graduation exams, NGO are activating their work in IDP schools by organising joint meetings of school administration, parents committees and NGOs. HWA-run school children are preparing for final exams for grades 9 and 11.
In the school of Bart tented camp, the local NGO Druzhba is providing training for teachers from IDP schools run by PINF, HWA, IRC, ARD on organisation of extra curricula activities such as classes for embroidering, knitting, sewing and carpentry etc.
The distribution of jackets and shoes to children procured with ECHO funding will be finished by the end of March, as well as the distribution of 27 tents, recreational materials and sport equipment. The distribution was slowed down because due to the referendum arrangements and early school vacations.
Kindergartens/Child Friendly Spaces
Through its long-term implementing partner Caritas Internationalis, UNICEF supports 253 vulnerable children in child-friendly spaces in Grozny. Caritas and UNICEF encourage teachers to develop child-friendly environment where children can enjoy healthy growth and development with support of caring teachers and parents. In order to provide an adequate developmental environment for children, hours of children's stay in kindergartens have been extended and children can have a full set of interactive programme including naps.
In the framework of the same UNICEF/Caritas collaboration, 700 pre-school age children are enrolled in the kindergarten programme in Ingushetia. In Bella and Sputnik camps the kindergartens operate in two shifts to meet an increasing need to cover more children.
UNICEF provided Caritas run kindergartens with 4,096 toys, games, sports and recreational materials, 6,720 items of stationery for the development of young children's development. These kindergartens were provided with cloramide powder (290kg) for hygienic and sanitation purposes.
Mine Action Programme (MAP)
General
In accordance with the information obtained from local NGOs, a new mine incident took place in Staropromyslovski district of Grozny as a result of booby trap explosion: an old man who found a can of juice in his garden died immediately after the explosion.
UNICEF IMSMA database run by the local NGO Voice of the Mountains (VoM) has arrived at the total of 1,756 entries (mine/UXO casualties): 1,468 injured and 288 killed. In accordance with the latest statistical release, out of them 16% are females and 84% males, 16% are dead and 84% injured; in most cases (34%) people have below knee losses as a result of most often antipersonnel mines (36%) and UXO (27%) explosions. The age group from 15 to 29 has proved to be the most affected one by mine/UXO incidents. Groznenski district of Chechnya together with the city of Grozny is still "leading" in the category "Total Victim per Community".
UNICEF national officer for Mine Action has participated in the UNICEF Workshop and MRE Working Group, both held by UNICEF HQ in Geneva. The meetings have been timed to the launch of the Mine Action Strategy 2002-2005. Being the first document of the kind in UNICEF's MAP, the Strategy is planned for the use as guidelines for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all related programmes. The participants have been also briefed on improving communication in MRE, community liaison techniques, IMSMA, funding issues, etc.
Mine Risk Education (MRE)
The MRE campaign has been expanded in Chechnya through VoM's presentations in Gekhi Secondary school No3 (Urus-Martanovski district), Valerik Primary and Kater-Yurt Secondary schools (Achkhoy-Martanovski district). 432 IDP children attending Omega (CPCD) and HWA schools have been covered in Ingushetia. Instead of approximately 1,500 schoolchildren initially planned to be enrolled in MRE presentations, VoM succeeded in covering only 1,289 within the reporting period. It is in connection with the Referendum that all schools have been on vacation preparing to be used as election stations.
Following the interactive MRE lessons VoM has disseminated 120 MRE posters, 1,289 notebooks and pens among schoolchildren both in Chechnya and Ingushetia. Another lot of 250 UNICEF MRE posters has been distributed and partially attached by Let's Save the Generation (LSG) in Grozny and Groznenski district close to the election points in order to convey the MRE messages to people coming to vote during the Referendum.
LSG has approached UNICEF with the initiative "Children of Chechnya against Mines" to become the first community based activity on the landmines advocacy level. The campaign including collection of signatures against the use of mines, as well as distribution of MRE materials and organisation of concerts by mine/UXO affected children, is aiming at drawing attention of the local authorities to the acute problem of mines and other explosive remnants of war, which is currently not perceived by the government as one of the priority concerns.
Survivor Assistance
The Prosthetic Workshop has completed the treatment of 9 mine/UXO affected children. 5 children have been provided with artificial limbs, others with such orthopedic devices as tutors, supporting modules, shoes and corsets. All the children have gone through the group and individual counseling by the psychologist from New Education. When needed, the parents of children have been also advised on better ways of treating their disabled children in order to enhance their physical and psychological healing.
In accordance with the request from UNICEF, VoM has created a separate database for registration of mine/UXO survivors fitted with artificial limbs and orthopedic devices with support of UNICEF. The database will serve as a back up for the certain part of IMSMA and will add to improving a follow-up system currently managed by UNICEF, the Prosthetic Workshop and VoM.
Health and Nutrition
Expanded Programme of Immunization - EPI
According to the results of the assessment on the cold chain conditions in town and village health care facilities (third level) of Chechnya, completed by UNICEF in January, only 171 out of 231 health units are currently functioning. According to the findings, in 53 settlements immunisation is carried out in temporary health units accommodated in private houses. In most of those places the cold chain is in unsatisfactory state. The storage conditions for immunisation supplies are not being observed. Vaccines are frequently kept in fridges and cellars at a household level. Lack of adequate premises, poor cold chain equipment and shortage of syringes are hampering the management of immunization schedules in an adequate and timely manner.
UNICEF has followed its commitment in upgrading the cold chain structure of the Chechen Republic and continued to provide cold chain equipment to different medical facilities. Hospitals in Samashki, Shatoi, and Dolinsk were provided with vaccine boxes, vaccine carriers, and ice packs. In addition, adequate amount of cold chain equipment was handed over for further distribution to health posts of adjacent territories.
Mother and Child Health - MCH
According to the Chechen MoH, health status of women of reproductive age and children under 5 continues to be of great concern due to prevailing negative factors indicating low social status and inadequate medical assistance available. In some remote mountainous villages, like Nozhai-Yurt, the infant mortality rate reaches 36,9% per 1,000 live births. MoH reports difficult access for women and children to primary health care services and specialized medical assistance. Lack of strategy on providing assistance to pregnant women and children in neonatal and postnatal periods as well as low awareness of preventive measures for health care among population aggravates the situation.
Respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases continued to be the most prevailing among children in Chechnya making disease rate at 41% among children under 14 in some locations.
UNICEF has continued supply of basic essential drugs, medical expendables, and MCH kits to inpatient and outpatient health care facilities in Chechnya, including Gudermes hospital, "Medicine for Catastrophes" in Grozny, and the Samashki, Dolinsk, and Shatoi hospitals.
UNICEF provided with medical equipment in pediatric hospitals in Nazran, Malgobek, Sleptsovsk, and Karabulak of Ingushetia.
Mother Empowerment Programme - MEP
UNICEF has launched the implementation of the Mother Empowerment Project in Ingushetia to raise awareness and knowledge of IDP mothers on care of their children. The training workshops have been organized for NGOs running health programmes and medical staff of MoH to enhance their capacity building. All trained people will be mobilised in reaching health care facilities to introduce adequate practices and advocate and disseminate messages on child-care to ID mothers. Based on WHO IMCI strategy, for the first time awareness raising hand-out materials have been developed and disseminated widely to medical staff, NGOs and MoH experts. UNICEF is implementing MEP project in cooperation with MoH, National Centre for Medical Prevention, WHO and NGOs. The next phase of the MEP will focus on advocacy and community mobilisation.
Water and Sanitation
UNICEF has continued to produce and distribute potable water through partner NGO, Polish Humanitarian Organization (PHO) to residents in public and private sectors in Grozny. Potable water has been provided through 13 trucks to 150 water bladders with total capacity of 800m3. To increase efficacy of the water provision, and to provide women and children with access to water, water distribution points are installed in medical institutions, schools and some residential areas defined as priorities. To ensure safety of potable water, UNICEF provided to water beneficiaries about 12,000 water containers of 20, 50 and 60 litres capacities.
The sanitation programme being implemented through PHO maintains 120 garbage containers located in 25 hospitals and schools where garbage disposal activities are taking place on a regular basis with average daily capacity of 35 metric tons. Latrines constructed in 12 hospitals and 4 schools have been maintained through regular sewage disposal with daily capacity of 12 metric tons. Medical incinerators built in 9 hospitals of Grozny have been reducing the risk of public health hazard on a daily basis.
UNICEF received 35 tons of the ECHO-funded chloramide powder for further delivery in Ingushetia and Chechnya. Distribution of the disinfectant material is planned through the Ingush and Chechen MoH, the Ingush Emercom, and NGO partners.