Highlights
• Since January, the total number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda increased, with nearly 1,800 new arrivals. More than 47,000 refugees are now living in Mahama camp.
• The typhoid outbreak is under control, with an effective health and WASH response.
• The nutrition situation among children under five years continues to improve, with currently only 51 children remaining on treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
• Water provision in Mahama camp remained stable in February, exceeding minimum standards of 15 litres/day/person.
Construction of durable sanitation facilities is advancing well.
• Para-social workers and child protection mobilizers conduct an average of 2,000 home visits per week for more than 400 unaccompanied minors.
• The integration of refugee children into a local school is advancing, with 16,722 students enrolled to date. Shortage of teaching staff remains a concern.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
According to the Government of Rwanda, as of 22 February 2016 the number of Burundian refugees had reached 73,867, with 47,430 registered in Mahama Camp. The remaining refugees are in reception centres (app. 3,000) or in Kigali and other urban areas (app. 23,000). The total number of refugees in Rwanda has slightly increased since January, with UNHCR registering nearly 1,800 additional Burundian refugees since last month.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visited Burundi in February, and held talks with President Pierre Nkurunziza to step up efforts to end months of violence in the country. He also met with other actors in support of UN efforts to resolve the country’s political crisis. During his visit, UNSG welcomed the decision by the President of Burundi to withdraw some media bans, cancel arrest warrants and release detainees as goodwill gestures to try to end months of violence in the crisis-torn country. He also confirmed that the Government of Burundi will be engaging in an inclusive dialogue. (http://bit.ly/1KXYRUD). However, in the past month newly arriving refugees still reported grave human rights violations in Burundi and great difficulty in leaving their country.
Ted Maly, UNICEF Representative, visited Mahama camp on 4 February to monitor progress of UNICEF-supported programmes and assess challenges faced by Burundian refugee children. The mission was appreciated by all partners, who requested continued support for the refugee population.
In Mahama camp, the transition from tents to semi-permanent shelters continued during the reporting period. An estimated 12,000 refugees are now occupying 1,200 semipermanent shelters.
In February, the provision of clean water to approximately to more than 47,000 refugees in Mahama camp and reception centres remained steady at 20 litres/person/day, meeting the minimum standards.
During the reporting period 31 children were admitted in the outpatient therapeutic feeding programme (OTP), and six in the inpatient malnutrition unit (IMU) in Kirehe district hospital. A total of 51 children with SAM are currently receiving treatment.
The typhoid outbreak is effectively managed and contained, and the number of cases stabilized at a low level (2 deaths to date), with no new cases registered in the past month. Yet malaria cases have increased in Mahama camp. UNICEF-supported immunization activities, including polio and measles campaigns have to date covered a cumulative total of 25,667 children, and a total of 650 women were vaccinated against tetanus.
Out of the 1,019 unaccompanied minors living in the camp, 413 are currently provided with alternative care support through para-social workers. At present, 86 registered cases of child protection (physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children) are being managed.
In the past month, 5,400 young refugee children continue to attend ECD and pre-primary programmes in temporary classrooms in Mahama camp, and 16,722 primary-school aged children were enrolled into the national education system.