Highlights
• Based on the recent SMART survey, and the preliminary findings from the IPC results of December 2021, there is a slight improvement in the nutrition situation. Despite this temporary improvement, it is expected that the onset of the lean season will lead to a deterioration of the nutrition situation.
• The Nutrition, WASH and Food Security clusters were officially activated on the 7th December 2021.
• Government approved the release of an updated version of the Flash appeal.
• UNICEF’s WASH interventions have reached 415,000 people who are most affected by the drought in the regions of Androy, Anosy and Atsimo Andrefana from the total of 624,000 reached by the cluster and thus out of the 807,000 targeted by the WASH cluster.
• Thanks to visits by 29 UNICEF-supported mobile clinics during December, an additional 28,700 people received essential health services, bringing the total number of people reached since January to 282,500, or 135% of UNICEF’s annual target. The people reached this year included 257,900 children under five and 24,600 pregnant women, covering 143% and 82% of the 2021 targets respectively.
• UNICEF continued to coordinate the cash response to the drought through the Cash Working Group, UNICEF covered about 35,000 people (22,500 children) in November and currently urgently requires an additional US$ 960,000 to continue humanitarian cash assistance until May 2022.
• In response to the challenges faced by populations, service providers and humanitarian actors in identifying, reporting and seeking/providing quality assistance to victims of GBV or SEA, and in response to exacerbate risk situations detected, UNICEF is carrying out a series of dedicated trainings on GBViE and PSEA, including a training of trainers that will enable an acceleration in preventive and risk mitigation measures.
Source: UN Children’s Fund