Updated January 2014
In 2014, UNICEF and partners plan for:
children identified with severe acute malnutrition are treated through community-based management of acute malnutrition programme
people in humanitarian situations access water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene
families with children under 5 receive guidance on appropriate life-saving practices in infant and young children feeding, hand washing, hygiene and child protection and care practices
2014 Requirements: US$6,000,000
Total affected population: 1,126,000
Total affected children (under 18): 619,300
Total people to be reached in 2014: 517,800
Total children* to be reached in 2014: 421,000
The aftermath of the severe drought that hit Angola during the 2012-2013 agricultural cycle continues to impact the country’s southern provinces. Of 1.8 million people affected in six provinces, 63 per cent are located in Cunene (543,000) and Huila (583,000), where production losses of cereals and legumes were nearly 100 per cent. Although the Government of Angola launched a Multi-sector Response Plan for 2013 with funding requirements between US$150 million and US$350 million,1 the implementation of the Government’s response to the drought has been slow due to lack of coordination at the central and provincial levels. So far in 2013, the Government’s response, with UN and partners’ support, has included the distribution of food and non-food items, the distribution of agricultural inputs, well drilling, water provision, construction and rehabilitation of dikes, dams and water pools, and prevention and treatment of malnutrition and health issues. Potable water continues to be the main concern in Angola, mainly in Cunene and Namibe, where people are using unclean water for consumption and cooking. In some areas, people and animals are forced to use the same untreated stagnant water, which causes diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases. Drought, limited potable water and increased food insecurity have also had a significant impact on the population’s nutritional health, particularly for children under 5, and have led to increased cross-border population movements, which raise additional concerns related to the protection of children.
2014 programme targets
- 421,000 children under 5 screened for acute malnutrition in Cunene and Huila
- 37,000 children identified with SAM treated through community-based management of acute malnutrition programme
- 35,000 children identified with MAM received counselling from health staff on key caring practices
- Children under 5 screened for acute malnutrition received vitamin A and deworming tablets
- Over 90 per cent of admitted children under 5 in health facilities receive measles vaccination
- 120,000 people in humanitarian situations accessing water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene
- 120,000 people in humanitarian situations with appropriate hygiene practices
- 8,000 children admitted for SAM treatment access water for drinking and personal hygiene
- 2 provincial emergency response plans have child protection interventions integrated
Communication for development
- 34,000 families with children under 5 with appropriate life-saving practices in infant and young children feeding, hand washing, hygiene and child protection and care practices
UNICEF will support the Government of Angola with its Multi-sector Response Plan in Cunene and Huila, two of the most affected provinces where UNICEF has a presence on the ground. This support will focus on the areas of protection, water and sanitation and health and nutrition, including HIV testing for children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). UNICEF will support the Provincial Directorate of Water on the maintenance and drilling of wells, the development of a communications strategy, the development of materials for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) during drought and on strengthening WASH coordination with local partners. UNICEF will also support household water treatment and hygiene education for affected communities. It will provide critical life-saving nutrition interventions for the integrated management of acute malnutrition. UNICEF will also provide vitamin A supplementation, facilitate the administration of deworming tablets, and promote infant and young child feeding practices, community-based management of child-killer diseases, and measles vaccination campaigns. UNICEF will continue to work with the Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration (MINARS) to strengthen national capacities in child protection in emergencies, to encourage data collection related to child protection risks and to advocate for the integration of the child protection component into provincial emergency contingency plans.
Results from 2013
UNICEF appealed for US$14.4 million for 2013, and as of the end of October 2013, a total of US$4,112,382, or 29 per cent of requirements, had been received in contributions. In 2013, UNICEF supported the Government of Angola on an unprecedented scale-up of the integrated management of acute malnutrition. This was accomplished by opening 34 new inpatient and 473 new outpatient therapeutic programme centres, thereby facilitating expanded community outreach for the first time in Angola. As of September 2013, a total of 1,087,603 children were screened for malnutrition, with 62,473 treated for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 54,433 treated for SAM. WASH and nutrition interventions were integrated through the provision of information materials on drinking water treatment and safe storage at inpatient and outpatient centres, as well as through the provision of soap for hand washing in health and nutrition centres. Key messages on WASH have been integrated into the training of over 2,010 health staff and 2,428 community mobilizers. UNICEF also supported provincial governments in Cunene and Huila to assess affected areas and implement sanitation activities through community-led total sanitation.
Results through 30 September 2013
The Government of Angola is leading and partially funding the response, but humanitarian needs remain, in particular in remote and hard-to-reach areas. UNICEF is requesting US$6 million to support the national response by improving the monitoring of and reporting on the crisis in all affected areas, strengthening WASH interventions due to the critical water shortages and expanding interventions in other sectors, particularly child protection.
1 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator, Drought Report, September 2013. According to the National Civil Protection Commission, only US$10 million was released through the end of July 2013. However, there is no information on how these funds were allocated, which makes the planning and the coordination with humanitarian partners’ interventions challenging.
2 Presidential elections and the installation of a new government in 2012 delayed and eventually postponed massive screenings in 2013.
3 The June campaign covered 80 per cent of the under 5 population, and was not limited to screened children.