Multi-Sector Rapid Assessment: Drought Impact on Humanitarian Situation in Fafan Zone – Somali Region, Ethiopia

Interaction with Community of Fafan Zone - Somali Region, Ethiopia KEY MESSAGE

•   Drought, worsened by El Nino effects, is having a devastating impact in Fafan Zone.  Approximately 110,331 (out of total 1,187,022) population are affected and facing water shortage. •   FIRST priorities for humanitarian intervention to save lives and reduce morbidity in Fafan Zone are urgently needed on: 1) WASH; 2) Food and Livelihoods; 3) Health and Nutrition. •   Harshin, Kabribayah, Awbare and Babile Woredas are most vulnerable and worst affected by drought.

SUMMARY

·   A multi-sector rapid assessment team deployed to Awbare, Gursum, Babile, Kabribayah, Harshin, and Jijiga Woredas on 29 December 2015 – 5 January 2016 to capture humanitarian situation, needs and priorities following the report of the Regional Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Bureau for Somali Region (RDPPB) on drought emergency in Fafan Zone. ·   Drought has severely impacted 110,331 population living in 58 communities / sub kabeles across six woredas, particularly experiencing limited access to water. Population is mostly relying on ponds and birka as water source for household and livestock daily consumption. ·   Crop failure has led to situation of food security, as well as seed (for upcoming plantation season) and feed (for livestock animal) security.  Tuliguleed is identified with the biggest food gap amongst other woredas. Some pastoralist community are transmigrating to neighboring areas in search of water and pasture. Movement of people with their livestock also causes more burden on women and children as they are fetching and driving animals to pasture and water points. ·   No disease outbreak is reported. However, diarrhea (to under-five children), pneumonia, UTI, URTI are the top five diseases being reported. The deterioriting food security situation has resulted in the widespread of malnutrition to under-five children and adult (pregnant/lactating women) across the woredas. ·   The transmigration of some pastoralist communities – in search of water and pasture -- has carried along students, leaving the schools empty, which was then closed. 10 schools are closed down, 190 others are partially functioning. Approximately 1,479 students have dropped out from schools. Around 10,158 students are affected by the drought. ·   FIRST priorities for urgent humanitarian intervention is to save lives and reduce morbidity related to drought through humanitarian program on :1) WASH; 2) Food and Livelihoods; 3) Health and Nutrition.

Woreda	Priorities
Awbare	Improve access to food, water and pasture
Babile	Improve access to water and pasture
Goljano	Impove access to water
Gursum	Improve access to food and pasture
Harshin	Impove access to food, water and pasture
Jigjiga	Improve access to water, food and pasture
Kabribayah	Improve access to water, pasture and emergency health and nutrition supplies
Tulliguled	Improve access to food and pasture; seed for next season is also a huge concern

TO SAVE LIVES AND REDUCE MORBIDITY Priorities between Priorities

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) ·   Urgent rehabilitation/maintenance of water sources and boreholes (Short term) ·   Urgent provision of water treatment chemicals ·   Extremely lifesaving emergency water interventions (water trucking), as last resort ·   Construction of more permanent water sources than Birka and Ponds which are so temporary and unprotected and rain-dependent (long term)

Livelihoods and Food Security ·      Emergency animal feed, Relief food, emergency veterinary drugs and Rehabilitation of the damaged Boreholes

Health and Nutrition: ·   Create accessible emergency response fund or to allocate fund for preparedness activities. ·   Prepare emergency drugs and supplies enough for 1 months for each woreda. ·   Provide Diarrheal Disease Kits for Fafan zone woredas. ·   Establish at least in one inpatient facility/SC set up in each woreda in order to provide care to patient with complicated severe acute malnutrition. ·   Provide water purification/chemicals to woredas health facilities timely. ·   Provide anti-malarial drugs and nutrition supplies for five districts (Except Tuliguled and Jijiga) ·   Provide emergency drugs in all visited woredas         ·   Regular nutrition supplies to be distributed to woredas to sustain the nutrition service at facility level especially in priority 1 woredas(7 districts in Fafan zone, ·   Supplementary feeding program for children is urgently required for Awbare District ·   Deployment of Mobile Health and Nutrition teams to Jijiga and Gursum woredas ·   Urgent Initiation of EOS screening in All Hotspot priority districts in the zone (Jijiga, Tulli, Gursum, Babili, Harshen, Kebribeyah and Awbarre)

SECONDARY priorities to protect and restore livelihoods Priorities Between Priorities

Livelihoods and Food Security ·   Provide of seeds and farm, tools for the coming planting season and rehabilitation of ponds ·   Provide commercial and slaughter destocking in the worst case scenario

WASH ·   Train WASH committee

Health and Nutrition ·   Establish and train emergency woreda rapid response teams ·   Build capacity on malaria, meningitis, AWD and measles outbreak control and severe acute malnutrition.

Education •   Introduce Networking Cards to help the transmigrating students continue with their learning •   School Feeding Program. No dropout reported from schools with feeding program. •   Community mobilization. Outreach to families and students to return to school.  •   Improve access to food and water as the main drivers of students’ dropouts  •   Supply of educational in emergencies kits and teaching and learning materials including school tents.