© UNICEF/Yemen/ 2012/HamoudMohamed Hamoud
Displaced girls collect water from a water supply point in Al-Mazraq Camp in Hajja, North Yemen.
Yemen
In 2013, UNICEF and partners plan for:
160,000
children with severe acute malnutrition treated
600,000
people in water-scarce communities and displaced settlements provided with potable water
400,000
conflict-affected and vulnerable children provided with protection services
2013 requirements (US$)
Humanitarian Situation
Yemen’s high rates of malnutrition are alarming: almost a million Yemeni girls and boys under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition, including 255,259 suffering from severe acute malnutrition. If left untreated, some will die, others will not grow to their full potential and the inter-generational poverty in Yemen will persist. While marked political progress was made in 2012, over half of Yemen’s population continues to suffer: 13 million people do not have access to safe water and sanitation; 10.5 million are food-insecure; 431,000 are internally displaced persons (IDPs); and 90,000 children do not have access to education. Reports of children subjected to extreme violence continue to surface, with 174 killed and maimed in 2012, including 49 victims of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Epidemics also remain a concern in Yemen, where high malnutrition rates, breakdown of health services and poor water and sanitation leave communities, particularly women and children, at high risk of outbreaks. Ongoing fighting has caused major disruption to children’s education: some schools are closed, while children from vulnerable families have withdrawn from schooling, reverting instead to child labour and early marriage – thus aggravating an already worrying low level of girls’ enrolment.
Planned results for 2013
2013 Programme Targets
Nutrition
- 897,828 children under 5 screened for malnutrition
- 160,000 children with severe acute malnutrition treated
- 199,509 mothers of children aged 6–24 months receive counselling and support for IYCF
- 1,346,742 children under 5 provided with micronutrient supplements
Health
- 800,000 children immunized against measles, polio, pneumonia and diarrhoea and provided with vitamin A supplements
- 50,000 children with life-threatening childhood illnesses provided with appropriate treatment
- 335,000 pregnant women receive access to antenatal care and obstetric services.
WASH
- 600,000 people in water-scarce communities and IDP settlements (half of them children) provided with potable water.
- 300,000 emergency-affected people, including 150,000 children, have access to proper sanitation
- Over 2 million people (half of them children) benefit from hygiene promotion
Child protection
- 400,000 conflict-affected and vulnerable children provided with protection services
- Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism coverage on grave child rights violations extended from 1.3 million to 1.5 million children
- 350,000 people, including 200,000 children, provided with explosive remnants of war awareness
- 350,000 children receive psychosocial support services
Education
- 500,000 boys and girls have access to and benefit from improved quality of education and school facilities
In 2013, UNICEF will address the needs of more than 1 million children and women affected by the lack of basic services and increasing poverty precipitated by the 2011 political crisis and continued localized conflicts. Working with partners, UNICEF will support the scale-up of lifesaving nutrition interventions by opening an additional 514 outpatient treatment centres and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) centres. High impact health, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions will be integrated with nutrition for sustainable reduction of malnutrition levels, while vaccination campaigns reaching 800,000 children are planned. To improve access to and the quality of education for 500,000 children, including in conflict-affected areas, infrastructure will be renovated, teachers trained and psychosocial support provided. As part of the child protection sub-cluster, UNICEF will provide 400,000 conflict-affected and vulnerable children with protection services and awareness. Meanwhile, the UNICEF-supported Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) will continue to focus on grave child rights violations in armed conflict, with the MRM covering a catchment of 1.5 million children. As the cluster lead in the nutrition, WASH and child protection areas of responsibility, UNICEF is coordinating with over 50 local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies.
Results from 2012
UNICEF appealed originally for US$49,807,000 and later raised that figure to US$80,764,847 to reflect the sharp increase in needs among the rural and displaced populations. As of the end of October, US$41,336,752, or 51 per cent of the revised requirement, had been received. With these funds, UNICEF promoted an integrated and comprehensive approach to addressing malnutrition, with a strong community component. The number of centres providing nutrition interventions grew from 330 in 2010 to 543 in 2012. The IYCF programme was launched with 60 centres established, 14 of which were fully operational and reporting by the end of the year., which accounts in part for the difference between the target and the actual number reached.
Measles vaccination was a joint effort between UNICEF and WHO, with the latter covering operational costs and UNICEF supplying vaccines, Vitamin A and social mobilization activities. While UNICEF is not the cluster lead for health, the total number of vaccinations achieved was due to UNICEF support. Child protection mechanisms were strengthened in emergency-affected areas by providing psychosocial support for 221,000 children (94,676 girls) and their caregivers and by reaching 213,000 people (more than 96,000 of them children) with landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) risk education and awareness. Legal aid services also benefited 450 boys and 78 girls. Alternative learning spaces, including tents, and teaching and learning materials were provided to ensure education for more than 52,000 conflict-affected children including IDPs.
In line with the country’s inter-agency 2013 Consolidated Appeal Process, UNICEF is requesting US$81,333,795 to meet the humanitarian needs of children. Without additional funding, UNICEF will be unable to support the national response to Yemen’s continuing nutrition crisis, critical WASH, vaccination protection services and education services for vulnerable children.