In an effort to enhance its emergency response across the Horn of Africa, which is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in decades, Action Against Hunger continues to ship water and sanitation equipment and critical food supplies to the region to reinforce its ongoing efforts.

Djibouti: 7.5 Tons of Water and Sanitation Equipment

Last week, 7.5 tons of clean water equipment, including tanks, pumps, test kits, taps and buckets, arrived in Djibouti City from Action Against Hunger’s staging grounds in Lyon, France. These resources will help government and aid agencies address water shortages in the poorer neighborhoods of the waterfront city, an important gateway to East Africa.

Following a prolonged and deadly two-year drought, the groundwater supplying Djibouti has reached dangerously shallow levels and many private wells have run dry. Those living in the city’s poorer quarters are connected to a loose network that, at best, provides an infrequent flow of water. In response, Action Against Hunger has launched emergency water and sanitation programs in the areas most prone to water scarcity.

Inadequate water supplies and poor access to proper sanitation are key contributors to the development of diseases, such as cholera, and respiratory infections. They are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in children under five years of age.

Somalian Refugees: 36 Tons of Nutritional Supplements

Action Against Hunger has also delivered 36 tons of nutritional supplements—in two 18-ton shipments—to support the Somalian refugees in the Dollo Ado camps in Ethiopia. These shipments of Plumpy’Sup—a ready-to-use food supplement used to treat moderate acute malnutrition in children older than six months—will help sustain ACF’s ongoing nutrition programs in the region.

Action Against Hunger currently supports therapeutic nutrition programs targeting people suffering from acute malnutrition in both the transit camps and in the camps in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia. Depending on the number of refugees arriving, ACF’s programs could support more than 285,000 people at current capacity.

* Originally published by Action Against Hunger on Sept. 15, 2011

Heavy monsoon rains have inundated southern Pakistan, displacing some 200,000 people and leaving an estimated five million people in need of humanitarian assistance across the Balochistan and Sindh Provinces. In response to the Government of Pakistan’s call for international support, Action Against Hunger has launched rapid needs assessments in the Sindh Province to determine emergency needs among the affected communities, many of which have yet to fully recover from the historic floods of 2010.

“The Government has requested the international humanitarian community to come forward and share our burden for lifesaving areas…shelter, food security, health and water, sanitation and hygiene, along with identifying any pressing needs in protection, nutrition and early recovery. The help is to be provided now before this disaster consumes more human lives in the country.”

—Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qadir, NDMA Chairman
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority

With more than four million acres under water and some 200 deaths attributed to the floods, this natural disaster already represents a major setback for communities still reeling from catastrophic floods one year ago. As some regions have already received more precipitation in just a few days than they normally experience all season—and with more rains forecast for the coming weeks—our teams fear conditions will only deteriorate further.

Rising flood waters have overwhelmed drainage systems and breached protection dykes to claim agricultural fields and residential areas alike, destroying homes, livelihoods, crops, and once-safe water sources, leaving communities exposed to a mix of industrial wastes and water-borne diseases in addition to water damage.

With 22 of its 23 districts under water, and with some 3.4 million people affected, the Sindh Province is by far the hardest hit of Pakistan’s southern provinces. In response, Action Against Hunger’s teams have carried out rapid needs assessments in the Sindh districts of Thatta, Dadu, Badin, and Tango Muhammad Khan to help ensure a coordinated humanitarian response plan.

With the bulk of immediate needs predicted in shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and basic health care, ACF’s rapid surveys uncovered the following findings:

• Sanitation facilities are insufficient or insufficiently cleaned
• Insufficient water storage facilities.
• No hygiene kits have been provided to prevent water borne diseases.
• Widespread needs for distributions of food rations.
• Populations lack fuel for cooking.
• Shelter is generally insufficient, especially with more rain forecast.
• Questionable water quality among some water trucking efforts.
• Vegetable crops have been destroyed by standing water.
• Income losses for daily wage earners with agricultural fields under water.
• Fish farming has been affected as fish pond walls have broken.

Action Against Hunger has proposed the following interventions to help the displaced and stranded communities cope with this latest disaster:

• Provision proper storage systems and water tanks.
• Provision of temporary latrines in the camps and affected villages.
• Distribution of hygiene kits and mosquito nets.
• Cleaning of sanitation facilities and displacement camps through cash transfer activities.
• Set-up of chlorination points and water treatment plants.
• Emergency screening to detect acutely malnourished children.
• Setting up water treatment plants.
• Chlorination of water being provided by District authorities.

A coalition of 38 aid agencies have issued a report urging the international community not to squander the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the people of South Sudan, the world’s newest nation.

Amidst jubilant celebration, the new Republic of South Sudan entered the international stage in July 2011 albeit as one of the least developed countries in the world. The challenges and opportunities are enormous, and donors, the government, implementing agencies and most importantly the people of South Sudan have a lot at stake—but much more to gain.

Against a backdrop of chronic under-development, the country is acutely vulnerable to recurring conflict and climatic shocks. More than 220,000 people were displaced last year due to conflict and more than 100,000 were affected by floods; and already this year, fighting in the disputed border areas, clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army and militia groups, disputes over land and cattle, and attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army, have forced nearly 300,000 people from their homes.

In the joint report, Getting it Right from the Start: Priorities for Action in the New Republic of South Sudan, the aid agencies said it was vital that donors get their priorities for tackling poverty right from the start. The report outlines key priorities for donors working to improve lives in South Sudan, along with ten areas for action based on the experience of NGOs operating in South Sudan and lessons learned during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement interim period, namely:

1. Balance development aid with support for emergency humanitarian needs
2. Understand conflict dynamics
3. Involve communities and strengthen civil society
4. Ensure an equitable distribution of assistance
5. Prioritize the most vulnerable and ensure social protection
6. Promote pro-poor, sustainable livelihoods
7. Strengthen government capacity, from the bottom up
8. Allow sufficient time for transition towards government management of international aid
9. Provide timely, predictable funds
10. Ensure integrated programming

Donors must prioritize these action areas in the first years of the country’s independence so as to ensure the best possible results for the people of South Sudan.

Crucially, the report calls on donors to continue to provide emergency aid to the volatile nation and improve their understanding of conflict dynamics. Already this year, some 2, 611 people have been killed in violent conflicts, with tribal clashes in Jonglei State in mid-August resulting in the deaths of at least 340 people and displacement of 26, 800. A further 275,000 people have already been displaced by violence this year which has hindered much needed agriculture and crop cultivation.

The report also calls on donors to build up the capacity of the government of South Sudan, so it is able to provide more and better services for its people including effective security and rule of law across the country. Government structures are extremely weak and being built up from almost nothing, especially outside the main towns. The agencies say that it will take time for South Sudan to assume full responsibility for the delivery of services. NGOs are currently responsible for the majority of basic service delivery in South Sudan, such as health, education and water and sanitation, and it’s vital that donors continue supporting these services as they support the government to build up its capacity to deliver these services itself.

The aid agencies also urged donors to support agriculture and income generating opportunities for the poorest communities Currently only an estimated 4 per cent of arable land is cultivated, the production of livestock and fish is just a fraction of the potential and exports and trade between different regions of South Sudan are minimal.

The agencies also called on donors and the government to help build up social protection programs to help the most vulnerable in South Sudan, such as cash transfers for those prone to food insecurity.

The following international aid agencies have signed the report: Action Against Hunger, ACTED, ADRA South Sudan, American Refugee Committee, Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, AVSI, CARE, Caritas Luxembourg and Switzerland, CHF International, Cordaid, DanChurchAid, Danish Refugee Council, GOAL Ireland, Handicap International, HealthNet TPO, Humane Development Council, International Aid Services, ICCO, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, JEN, Malaria Consortium, Malteser International, Medair, Mennonite Central Committee, Mercy Corps, Merlin, Mission Aviation Fellowship International, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Pact, Plan South Sudan, Population Services International, Relief International, Saferworld, Save the Children, South Sudan Law Society, and World Vision.

* Originally published by Action Against Hunger on Sept. 8, 2011

Fatima Adam owns a grocery store in Eskot, a town in Garbatulla in central Kenya. The shop earned enough to provide for her family until a severe drought—the country’s worst in 60 years—left her shelves bare and her customers, most of whom earn money by farming, with little to spend. Her income declined badly and, at the height of the drought, access to food became less and less reliable.  As a result, her young son, Abdi, now suffers from malnutrition. Here, in her own words, she describes what this crisis has meant for her family as her son is treated at an Action Against Hunger stabilization center:

“Abdi was such a cheerful boy, happy and healthy, but when I look at him now, it is hard to believe how thin he is. And yet, he has gained weight since starting his treatment, he is now much better. A few weeks ago it was difficult—he kept asking me for food, but we had none at home. The drought has been terrible for farmers in the region, but has also had an impact on everyone else. You see, my husband and I have a small shop where we usually sell vegetables. Normally, we can earn up to 1,000 shillings per week (around $10.50). But today, because of drought, people no longer have any money to buy anything from us.

“The drought has ruined farming families. People are begging me to give them credit to buy food, but I have to tell them that even I do not have enough to feed my children. That’s why my son Abdi became malnourished. Fortunately, since Action Against Hunger started to treat him, he has gained weight and strength. He may even be able to go back to school soon.”