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A mental health and psychosocial support technical advisor was seconded to UNICEF to support the implementation of psychosocial care for malnourished infants and children in West Africa’s food crisis response. The World Vision Australia Humanitarian Protection Adviser supported World Vision Mali in response to the displacement of people due to the West Africa food crisis and conflict.
Positive outcomes Our partnership with the World Food Programme on Cash-for-Work and Food-for-Work projects in Niger resulted in many community members remaining in their villages to take part. World Vision was among the first organisations to assist the Government of Niger to address acute malnutrition. Last year, of the 6,330 severely acute malnourished children in Niger, 5,451 have been rehabilitated and 25,162 moderately acute malnourished children were also cared for. In Chad, we partnered with UNICEF to set up the first Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition program in the country. Communities are better equipped to cope with food crises due to our vegetable garden projects, set up as medium-to longer-term interventions in the face of reoccurring drought.
Horn of Africa drought During 2011, recurrent drought conditions across East Africa, combined with rising food prices and conflict, created a humanitarian emergency of unimaginable scale. At its peak, over 13 million people were unable to access food on a regular basis. Our 18-month emergency response assisted some 2.5 million people across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania. After one year, by July 2012, just over 2 million people had been assisted. Activities have included: • food distributions for pregnant and lactating mothers, children, elderly and other vulnerable groups; • food-for-work projects that benefit the community in exchange for food; • assessment, monitoring and treatment of malnourished children; • h ealth checks, immunisations, maternal and child healthcare, mobile health clinics, and health worker training; • water trucking (short-term), then water borehole drilling; • construction of water points and toilets; • installation of water tanks at health clinics and primary schools; • distribution of fuel-efficient stoves to minimise cutting of trees for fuel; • distribution of seeds, seedlings and tools to farmers; • distribution of livestock to pastoralists, de-worming and other veterinarian support to animals; • small business training for women; • d istribution of relief items, including mosquito nets, cooking sets, hygiene kits and tarpaulins to 30,000 Somali refugees; • training of child protection officers in communities; • peace committees and peace promotion meetings reached 100,000 people in Kenya; and • establishment of Child Friendly Spaces.
In October 2011, the Australian Government announced its “dollar-for-dollar” initiative to encourage Australians to donate to East Africa appeals. During the October-November initiative period, World Vision Australia raised almost $1.8 million. We also received an AusAID grant of $1.7 million for the response to the drought in Puntland (Somalia). Our assistance reduced morbidity and mortality among drought-affected, internallydisplaced, and host communities in Puntland by providing adequate water and health services, strengthening livelihoods and child protection. We provided funding and technical assistance to World Vision Rwanda, World Vision Uganda, and World Vision Democratic Republic of Congo for relief efforts to assist communities affected by conflict in the regions of North Kivu, South Kivu and Beni. An AusAID grant of $455,000 for the response to the Horn of Africa drought focused on provision of life-saving, humanitarian assistance to drought-affected people in the Baringo, Marsabit, Wajir and Ijara districts of northern Kenya. In the Awdal community in Somalia, World Vision Australia has contributed to improved food security for drought-affected communities by increasing community resilience to drought hazard. We have also supported the Africa Community Resilience Project, which seeks to integrate Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation into all development and relief projects in three national offices. Our linked Child-Focused DRR project was co-funded by AusAID.
At the height of the Horn of Africa drought crisis, World Vision trucked clean drinking water into communities in northern Kenya. Photo credit: Jon Warren/World Vision
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