Somalia: Weekly Humanitarian Bulletin No. 31, 07 - 14 Aug 2009

Key Overall Developments

Four aid workers and two pilots held hostage since November 2008 were released on 11 August. The four aid workers from Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim (ACF) were kidnapped on 5 November 2008 in Dhuusamarreeb, Galgaduud region. To-date, 13 aid workers remain in captivity in Somalia.

UNICEF has been forced to postpone the dispatch of hundreds of tons of life-saving nutritional supplies due to increased hostility towards aid organisations. The supplies were meant for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition in more than 85,000 Somali children in South/Central Somalia. Distribution of malaria prevention bed-nets to more than 100,000 women and children has also been disrupted. In a statement issued on 13 August, Ms Rozanne Chorlton, UNICEF Representative to Somalia said "We need concrete assurances from local authorities for the safe delivery and storage of supplies to ensure that we can carry out programmes for the survival of Somali children and women. We hope these assurances will be forthcoming very soon so that we can continue our operations at a level that matches the needs of children and women and prevent the deaths that will otherwise certainly occur."

Five cooked meal sites in Mogadishu re-opened on 8 August following closure for over a month due to insecurity. This brings the total number of operational sites to 15 out of the total 16. Only one site in Abdul-Aziz district remains on hold. Ten other centers resumed the feeding programme about two weeks ago. Through the sixteen sites, an average of 80,000 vulnerable people receives daily prepared meals.

During the week, field consultation workshops for the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) 2010 were successfully completed in Somaliland and Puntland. More than 150 participants, including local authorities were in attendance in the two locations respectively. Consultations for South/Central Somalia will take place in Nairobi on 18 August. A final consolidated CAP 2010 workshop will be held in Nairobi on 20 August which will review the 2009 achievements and discuss the needs and response for 2010, considering inputs from the three field workshops.

Response

On August 12, UNICEF and WHO in partnership with local authorities launched the second round of Child Health Days (CHDs) for Somaliland. Approximately 440,000 children under five years and 500,000 women of child bearing age will be targeted by more than 5,000 volunteers. A package of critical health services including measles and polio immunization, vitamin 'A' supplementation, de-worming, aqua-tabs for water treatment, hygiene education, tetanus vaccination for women and nutritional screening and referral will be administered. In Central/South and Puntland, the second round of CHDs will be conducted from October to December 2009. During the first round from December 2008 to June 2009, more than 1 million children and 800,000 women were reached throughout Somalia.

UNICEF has transitioned from water trucking (from April to May) to the construction, rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of water points in the drought-affected areas of Somaliland to benefit an estimated 16,500 people in four villages of Sool and Togdheer regions. UNICEF is also implementing WASH activities in 11 villages of Sool, Sanaag and Togdheer regions benefiting 18,000 people.

WFP and partners distributed some 110 metric tones of assorted food commodities to 2,550 beneficiaries under supplementary feeding programme in Lower Juba. In Puntland, 312 beneficiaries (including the IDPs) received 5mt of food while 100 people living with HIV/AIDs received 10 metric of assorted food commodities. In Gaalkacyo, WFP dispatched 456 metric tones of food to be distributed during the week under food-for-training and targeted supplementary feeding programme supported.

Contact: For further information in English, contact: Rita Maingi on +254 734 800 120 - maingir@un.org. In Somali or English, contact Muna Mohamed on + 254 733 643 737 - mohamed26@un.org
UNOCHA Somalia, Ngecha Rd. (off Lower Kabete Rd). P.O Box 28832, 00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254 20 4002400, Website: http://ochaonline.un.org/Somalia