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Somalia

UNICEF Somalia Humanitarian Situation Report No. 7: July 2019

Attachments

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

  • 4.2 million People in need of humanitarian assistance (2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview)

  • 903,100 Estimated children under-5 years likely to face acute malnutrition in 2019, including 138,200 children with SAM

  • 3 million Children estimated to be out of school (2019 Humanitarian Action for Children)

  • 2.6 million People internally displaced throughout Somalia

Highlights

  • The dry conditions continued in 2019 as a result of the below average 2018 Deyr season continued in 2019 with the Gu rains starting late and being highly erratic in most of the country. The 2019 Gu season was the second consecutive below-average rainy season.

  • From January to July 2019, UNICEF reached 70 per cent of children targeted for Severe Malnutrition (SAM).

  • From January to July 33,110 children under-1 received Penta 3 and 73,686 children aged 6-59 months measles vaccinations. Routine surveillance data showed a 66% decrease in recorded measles cases compared to the equivalent time period in 2018.

  • UNICEF and partners provided 673,013 people with access to emergency water, including through water trucking and water source chlorination.

  • UNICEF, the Somaliland Government and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) launched a three-year programme to increase access to quality education for children and adolescent impacted by ongoing crises in Somaliland. ECW has provided US$6.7 million seed funding.

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

In Somalia children continue to live in one of the harshest places in the world to be a child, faced with repeated climate shocks, continued conflict, displacement and violence. As of January 2019, over 4.2 million people, including 2.5 million children, needed humanitarian assistance and protection. There are also an estimated 2.6 million people displaced in Somalia, including 192,000 displaced so far in 2019, with women and children representing the majority of the displaced.

The dry conditions continued as a result of the below average 2018 Deyrseason continued in 2019 with the Gu rains starting late and being highly erratic in most of the country. The 2019 Gu season was the second consecutive below-average rainy season, in a country still recovering from a prolonged drought in 2016-17 and resulting in the overall humanitarian situation worsening. Displacements due to the delayed rains and the impact of conflict are reported to be increasing throughout the country and exclusion and discrimination of women and girls, as well as socially marginalized groups, continue to exacerbate elevated levels of acute humanitarian needs. Rains materialized in most parts of the country in May and June, but the impact of the delay will likely continue through the year and a sufficient harvest season is highly unlikely. The Gu harvest is expected to be 50 per cent below average, and the threat of locusts potentially damaging the harvest that remains is looming.

The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) was launched in January 2019 and seeks US$ 1.08 billion to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks and displacement across the country, with a focus on the most vulnerable. As of July 2019, the HRP was 42 per cent funded with US$ 450 million received. For 2019, UNICEF is appealing for US$ 145.3 million to sustain the provision of life-saving services including critical nutrition, health, WASH, child protection and education in emergency interventions, as well as cash-based assistance for women and children in Somalia.

In July, the Humanitarian Community and the Somali Federal Government launched the Somalia 2019 Drought Impact Response Plan (DIRP). The DIRP is a focused appeal as part of the overall HRP and appeals for US$ 686 million to aid communities impacted by the delayed Gu rains throughout the country from June to December 2019. The plan targets 4.5 million people affected by the delayed rains. The plan is multi-sectoral, including critical nutrition, health and WASH interventions, and highlights the full scope of needs for children. The impact of the delayed rains is expected to increase vulnerabilities and displacement for those most in need and translate into heightened child protection risks and loss of opportunities for learning for children.