Pledges and contributions
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is pleased to acknowledge the receipt, for 2008, of eight new contributions (as of 30 April) totalling $64,381,400. They were made by Algeria ($10,000), Antigua and Barbuda ($5,000), Brazil ($50,000), Croatia ($34,000), the Netherlands ($63,900,000), Portugal ($312,400), Trinidad and Tobago ($20,000) and the United Arab Emirates ($50,000).
OCHA encourages all Member States to turn their pledges into contributions as soon as possible, because these donations ensure that the CERF, as a strategic financial instrument of donor governments, assists the most vulnerable populations suffering from a disaster or a conflict.
Country highlights
In April 2008, the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) approved over $19.9 million in grants from the CERF's window for rapid response.
ANGOLA - Heavy rains and flooding since early 2008 are worsening a cholera outbreak. The provinces of Cunene, Kuando Kubango and Benguela have fatality rates as high as 26 percent in infected people.
Using a $1.2 million CERF grant, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are distributing home-level water and hygiene kits to 2,500 families, including water purification tablets, jerry cans, water dispensers and soap. They are also distributing water treatment solution to 60,000 households to make water safe for consumption.
A $274,000 CERF grant is enabling the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to distribute non-food items (NFIs), such as blankets and clothes, as well as cleaning, hygiene and kitchen kits to 12,000 and shelter supplies to 8,000 who have been displaced in Kuando Kubango province.
BANGLADESH - Rodents have destroyed a significant portion of the food crops in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region, causing food insecurity in several districts. The next crops will only be planted in August or September, creating a five-month gap in the food production.
The World Food Programme (WFP) is using $1 million from the CERF to provide rice and other food commodities that it will distribute with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to 128,000 beneficiaries.
COMOROS - The health situation in Anjouan needs to be immediately addressed, as basic social services were interrupted during the six months prior to the military operation in March that allowed the central government to regain control of the renegade island.
A United Nations mission reported that six out of seven district health centres are partially operational. Nevertheless, the 19 health posts at community level are not in service because they lack qualified personnel, drugs and equipment. Over the last six months, malnutrition rates have gone up, affecting especially women and children. Therapeutic feeding centres are closed or not properly working.
Because vaccination facilities do not have refrigerators and enough antigens, the number of cases involving measles, malaria, typhoid fever, gastro-intestinal infections and cholera are on the rise. Maternal mortality is high, and unsafe abortions are frequent, leading to many deaths among adolescents. In addition, the logistical capacities of the national authorities are not strong enough to deliver essential health supplies in a timely manner.
A $534,000 CERF allocation is enabling UNICEF, WFP and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to help restore essential health care services and respond to immediate nutrition needs of the most vulnerable. Activities include a vaccination campaign for 8,000 children under five, 10,300 pregnant women and 32,900 women of child-bearing age.
The UN agencies are also providing de-worming and vitamin A supplementation, as well as 100,000 oral rehydration salts sachets to reduce mortality, in particular among 3,000 malnourished children under five. The project is also restoring the emergency obstetric maternal care and helping health personnel monitor epidemic-prone disease outbreaks and quickly respond to minimize related casualties.