Highlights
The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee December 2015 report identifies additional 32,390 food insecure people in Blantyre, Mangochi, Dedza and Mzimba districts and recommends humanitarian assistance extension to from March to April 2016, funds permitting.
In December, 137,255 children under 5 years were screened for acute malnutrition in 14 districts out of which 1,225 cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition and 6,305 Moderate Acute Malnutrition were identified and referred to Community Management of Acute Malnutrition facilities for appropriate management. Through implementing partners UNICEF and districts have now scaled up nutrition community mobilization and mass screening to 23 districts.
Starting in January 2016, UNICEF is supporting the distribution of nutrition supplies to 579 Out Patient Therapeutic Programme nutrition (OTP) sites in an effort to ensure availability of the required supplies for early treatment of severely acute malnourished children. A total of 3,613 cartons of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) were in January 2016 to the 579 sites enough to treat an estimated 3,970 SAM children.
In cholera affected and high risk districts, a total of 142, 130 people have benefited from intensive hygiene promotion activities by UNICEF and its partners while 17,628 and 9,459 people have gained access to safe water supply and sanitation services respectively.
UNICEF Malawi humanitarian funding requirement as reflected in the 2016 Humanitarian Action for Children stands at US$ 13,035,000.
Against the HAC requirements, UNICEF has received US$ 1.779 million leaving a funding gap of 86 per cent.