Key Issues
- The Government and the Ethiopia Humanitarian Country Team are considering a revision of the 2016 Humanitarian Requirements Document following surges in needs reported from various sectors.
- The hotspot woreda re- classification exercise has begun, and is expected to be completed in three weeks’ time.
- The Government and partners are increasing efforts to expand targeted supplementary feeding (TSF) intervention coverage to address moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).
Ethiopia is responding to an El Niño-caused drought emergency: The El Niño global climactic event has wreaked havoc on Ethiopia’s summer rains. This comes on the heels of failed spring rains, and has driven food insecurity, malnutrition and water shortages in affected areas of the country. A well-coordinated response is already underway and expanding rapidly, although the scale of the developing emergency exceeds resources available to date. Given the lead times necessary for the procurement of relief items, the Government and its international partners have called for early action to this slow onset natural disaster.
The Government is considering a revision of the 2016 HRD
El Niño’s impact on the food security and livelihoods of vulnerable Ethiopians continues. Surges in humanitarian needs are already registered since the release of the 2016 Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) in early December 2015. There are 2.2 million moderately malnourished children under five years and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers and 450,000 severely malnourished children requiring specialized nutrition interventions. Drought-affected small-holder farmers requiring emergency seed support increased from 2.2 million to 3.3 million. The Government's National Disaster Risk Management Commission is also receiving ad hoc requests for food assistance to drought- affected people not initially included in the HRD. Considering the reported spikes in need, the Government and the Ethiopia Humanitarian Country Team agreed to update the HRD based on sector-based assessments.
Targeted Supplementary Feeding intervention coverage
The Government and partners are increasing efforts to expand targeted supplementary feeding (TSF) intervention coverage to address moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). However, a shortage of corn soya blend (CSB) – mainly due to funding arriving months after it was needed - and delays in nutrition screening are compromising the efforts.
While WFP distributes CSB in priority 1 woredas, the Government covers needs in priority 2 woredas, and in priority 1 woredas not covered by partners due to resource shortfalls. At least seven local companies are producing 7800 MT of CSB per month to help minimize supply gaps. Delays in nutrition screening, particularly in Afar (32 woredas) and Somali (11 woredas), are also delaying response. The last screening data available from the two regions was the one conducted in August 2015, and TSF supplies were last distributed in October – November 2015. The Government decided that TSF supplies be immediately distributed to Afar based on the last screening data (in 17 of the 32 woredas). In Somali region, the regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau (DPPB) and partners reached out to the Regional Health Bureau to urge for the immediate start of nutrition screenings. Failing to address MAM will cause spikes in severe acute malnutrition, and to more human suffering and costlier intervention months down the line.
Revised hotspot woreda classification due in April
The hotspot woreda re-classification exercise has begun, and is expected to be completed in three weeks’ time. In 2015, the number of areas needing urgent humanitarian support (hotspot priority 1) had quadrupled from 40 woredas in February 2015 to 186 woredas in December 2015, reflecting the deteriorated humanitarian context. Another increase is expected. The hotspot woreda list is revised quarterly by a multiagency team and considers the impact of food availability, WaSH, access to markets, nutrition and other contributing factors.
Ministry will launch a measles vaccination campaign in April
The Ministry of Health has secured the funds required for the planned measles vaccination campaign for children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. The campaign is tentatively scheduled to launch in mid-April and will target 25 million children in 505 drought-affected and at-risk woredas. For more information, contact: ocha-eth@un.org