Attachments
Total affected population: 280,000
Total affected children (under 18): 151,200
Total people to be reached in 2016: 165,120
Total children to be reached in 2016: 104,500
2016 programme targets
Tanzania
• 2,860 children under 5 years suffering from SAM admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes (as per Sphere Standards for programme coverage and programme performance)
• 55,000 children under 5 years provided with vitamin A supplementation
• 12,000 children immunized against measles and polio
• 60,000 people provided with safe water (7.5-15 litres per person per day)
• 4,000 most vulnerable children, including unaccompanied and separated children, provided with case management services
• 50,000 school-aged children, including adolescents, accessed quality education, including through temporary structures
Rwanda
• 360 children under 5 years suffering from SAM admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes (as per Sphere Standards for programme coverage and programme performance)
• 1,500 children under 1 year reached with routine immunization
• 60,000 people reached with safe hygiene messages and promotional activities
• 14,000 children benefitted from the provision of early childhood development services through centre and home-based approaches
• 6,000 most-vulnerable children, including unaccompanied and separated children, provided with case management services
• 17,000 school-aged children, including adolescents, accessed quality education, including through temporary structures
Since April 2015, more than 216,000 Burundian refugees, the majority of them women and children, have sought shelter in neighbouring countries – including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda – to escape violence and political turmoil. The majority of these refugees have fled to Tanzania (currently hosting more than 110,000 refugees) and Rwanda (currently hosting more than 70,000 refugees), with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda hosting smaller populations. As the situation in Burundi remains tense and largely unpredictable, it is expected that more Burundians will flee the country in the coming months. Children are disproportionately affected by the crisis. They have been uprooted from school (11,000 Burundian refugee children are currently out of school in Tanzania and 4,846 are out of school in Rwanda); subjected to violence and separation from their families (3,624 Burundian refugee children in Tanzania and 2,503 in Rwanda have been reported to be unaccompanied and/or separated); and have suffered from increasing mortality and morbidity due to the lack of nutrition and basic health care services. The large influx of refugees has resulted in overcrowding and limited access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene, increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks, including cholera. For women and children in transit, protection concerns, particularly sexual and gender-based violence, are significant.
Humanitarian strategy
UNICEF is collaborating closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in its response to the Burundian refugee crisis. UNICEF and partners are working to prevent waterborne diseases through the delivery of safe water, latrine construction, safe disposal of solid waste and hygiene promotion activities. UNICEF will expand access to education through the provision of basic learning materials, training and teaching tools for teachers, and classroom tents. Response mechanisms for gender-based violence and exploitation will be enhanced in camp settings, alongside psychosocial support and recreational activities. UNICEF will strengthen child protection systems, as well as cross-border mechanisms to prevent and respond to risks associated with separation. To prevent disease outbreaks, UNICEF will increase critical epidemic surveillance and containment, procurement of health kits and vaccines, immunization of children against vaccine-preventable diseases, and the prevention and treatment of diarrheal diseases. Measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV will be part of routine maternal, newborn and child health services for all new arrivals. UNICEF will continue to support supplementary feeding for children, pregnant women and lactating women, as well as malnutrition screening among refugee children. UNICEF will also continue to utilize Communication for Development as a cross-cutting approach.
Results from 2015
As of 31 October 2015, UNICEF had received US$5.5 million for the Burundian refugee crisis. In 2015, UNICEF focused on providing basic household sanitary and hygiene goods to prevent the further deterioration of health and hygiene. Through cross-border collaboration, UNICEF was able to improve the monitoring of the situation of children along the borders, address the nutrition and cholera situations at a sub-regional level, and ensure the continuation of quality education for children arriving from neighbouring countries. Following a cholera outbreak in May 2015, local health facilities in Rwanda and Tanzania were equipped with essential emergency supplies and 180 hygiene promotion volunteers were deployed. Installation of water storage tanks, among other interventions, facilitated safe water for over 107,000 people. In addition, 1,560 children under 5 years were identified for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment. More than 59,000 children received measles and polio vaccinations, and over 15,000 children received vitamin A supplementation. UNICEF and partners identified more than 6,127 unaccompanied and separated children who have since been reunited with their families or have received foster care services. Child-friendly spaces were established for more than 15,000 children, and over 40,000 refugee children were provided with quality education. UNICEF results in 2015 in Rwanda were lower than expected, due to a lower number of refugee arrivals.