United Nations
United Nations Country Team
Support Office, Awassa
Phone: 06-20 70 64/5 Fax: 06-20 70 63
e-mail: unawassa@telecom.net.et
Bi-monthly
Situation Update SNNPR –
Feb. 16 -
29, 2004
Highlights:
·
Nutrition/TFC’s: UNICEF verification mission follow up reports of increased
malnutrition levels in Guraghe; Action Contre la Faim closes its SNNPR
programme; higher rates of admission in Karat and Taza TFC’s
·
Resettlements: resumed mid-February
·
Rainfalls/crops: ceasing rains cause concern about crops in some areas
·
Security incident: one person shot dead in Konso Special Woreda
·
UN visits to SNNPR: the UNCT had a visit by the Special Rapporteur on the Right
to Food, Mr. Jean Ziegler; UNICEF multi-sectoral resettlement needs- assessment
·
UN-OCHA / UNCT-SO Awassa: staff number is decreased as part of the restructuring
process
Nutrition/TFC’s
As
reported in the last Situation Update, a UNICEF field monitor in the second
week of February informed of radical increases in malnutrition levels in Mareko
and Meskan woredas, Guraghe Zone. According to the report increased
malnutrition levels, related to the closure of blanket feeding programmes in
October 2003, had resulted in a number of children dying. A UNICEF verification
mission was undertaken, revealing that the number of deaths was five and probably
due to malnutrition, possibly compounded by malaria and waterborne diseases.
Project
Mercy (PM) is currently the only NGO implementing feeding programmes in the two
woredas. However, their nutritional screenings need to be improved and the wet
type of feeding implemented is inappropriate for chronically food insecure
circumstances.
In
a response to the reports, a meeting was held February 26 between OFDA, SC
(US), PM, the Regional Health Bureau and UNICEF. Recommendations in order to
prevent further increase in malnutrition levels were that PM convert their wet
feeding centres into the more appropriate targeted dry supplementary feeding; that
screening the target populations of affected woredas for possible referral to
feeding programmes be undertaken; that PM integrate its Therapeutic Feeding Centre,
Yetabon TFC, into Butajira Hospital; and that Governmental general food
distribution is initiated.
Action
Contre la Faim (ACF) handed over its last remaining, Leku TFC, on February 16.
It was integrated with the nutrition unit at the health centre, which now
manages 10 children suffering from severe malnutrition. Health centre staff
were trained during the integration by ACF which also handed over all
materials, drugs and therapy products to the facility as per Health and
Nutrition Task Force guidelines.
ACF
closed the Awassa sub-office Feb 27, thereby in effect wrapping up its SNNPR- programme.
The
Taza Nutritional Referral Unit (NRU) in Kedida-Gamela woreda, Kembata Tembaro
Zone, is part of the Catholic Sisters Health centre. During the two last weeks
of February it has had a drastic increase in the number of children; from 25
patients in mid-February, in now serves 56 severely malnourished children. Although
16 of them were from within the woreda, the children mainly came from other
woredas: 23 from Alaba Special Woreda, 14 from Badawocho and three from Shashego
woreda, Hadiya Zone. SC (US) held a 12-day training for Taza NRU staff in OTP,
Targeted supplementary feeding and NRU management. The Catholic Sisters are
planning to launch a supplementary feeding programme in the area. SC (US)
report that the construction of a TFC has been initiated.
Karat
TFC in Konso Special Woreda has also experienced increased rates of admission in
February, as severely malnourished children were identified during an SC (US) outreach
screening for a supplementary feeding programme. On February 19, the number of
children in the TFC was 75; SC (US) are continuing the supplementary feeding
programme in ten distribution sites, from which 2 500 under 5’s and lactating /
pregnant women are benefiting.
Rainfalls/crops
After
the erratic but predominantly heavy rains which fell over the greater part of
the region during the past two months, the last half February has been mainly
dry. While Belg-rains normally occur
at the end of February, many farmers took advantage of these early rains by
preparing their lands for sowing. Problems may arise for those farmers who
actually did sow; if there are no more rainfalls in the first weeks of March,
their seedlings will die. This would most likely have detrimental effects on
nutritional status among these communities and may affect the Regional
Governments’ policy of “decreasing dependency” (based on which it has slashed
the number of people in need of food assistance or close monitoring by half).
Resettlements
UNICEF
Field Monitors report that resettlements were resumed in mid-February, after a
weeks’ break to prepare the receiving sites.
Dawro
Zone received 444 Heads of Households and seven “dependants” (women and
children) from drought affected and food insecure areas in Hadiya Zone on
February 18. They were accompanied by three development agents and one health
professional.
Security
OCHA
has received reports of unrest in Konso Special Woreda. There has been fighting
over land between two local groups, which resulted in one person being shot
dead and the military police being called in to stabilise the situation.
Meanwhile, UN security advises against travelling to Konso SW.
Visits
On
February 19-22, the SNNPR UNCT had a visit by the Special Rapporteur on the
Right to Food, Mr. Jean Ziegler with team. They were shown a SC (US) run
Therapeutic Feeding Centre and a GOAL implemented School Feeding Programme,
both in Sidama Zone. They also visited a BoA / WFP food for work (MERET/EGS)
project in Wolayta Zone. While the team chose not to visit a resettlement site,
as was scheduled, they did receive briefings on the resettlement programme.
UNICEF
had a visit February 23-27 from a ‘multi-sectoral resettlement needs-assessment
team’. The aim of the assessment is to come up with a consistent UNICEF
position on the resettlement programme.
UN-OCHA/UNCTSO
Awassa
The staff number in the UN-OCHA / UN Country Team
Support Office (UNCT-SO) in Awassa was decreased during the reporting period,
as the UN-OCHA Field coordinator and National officer finished their contracts.
This first part of the UNCT-SO restructuring process leaves the Support Office
currently constituting of the UN-OCHA Information officer and the UNDP National
admin. officer.
DISCLAIMER
The
designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not
imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the UN concerning the legal
status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
UN OCHA Ethiopia
Tel.: (251) (1)
51-37-25
PO Box 60252 Fax: (251) (1) 51-12-92
Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia E-mail: ocha-eth@un.org
Web Sites: www.ocha-eth.org
www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/eue_web/eue_mnu.htm
(archive)