UN CONTINUES PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN AID TO SOMALIA

The United Nations is continuing its efforts to ameliorate the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia, rushing food and other vital items to the war-wracked Horn of Africa nation.

To prevent the spread of malaria in south-central Somalia, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing enough mosquito nets to benefit nearly 30,000 households.

The agency also delivered 'Plumpy Doz' – a peanut paste containing skim milk, sugar, vitamins and minerals – to some 5,000 children between 6-36 months of age in the Wanla Weyne district to prevent malnutrition.

For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) and its local partners have wrapped up a supplementary feeding operation in Gaalkacyo, Galdobog and Jariiban districts for nearly 17,000 under-five children.

In northern Somalia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies have launched an awareness campaigns for hundreds of people in the port city of Bossaso seeking to make the perilous boat journey across the Gulf of Aden to begin new lives in Yemen. Brochures detailing the dangers of the trip were distributed this week.

WFP also delivered 280 metric tonnes of food for more than 19,000 people in northern areas.

Escalating violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation have driven thousands of Somalis from their homes, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring nations.

Earlier this week, a WFP compound in Wajiid, in southern Somalia, was attacked by armed gunmen, marking the fourth time that that the world body's offices in the Horn of Africa nation have been deliberately targeted.

The UN has repeatedly called on all parties in Somalia to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers, who are tending to the needs of some 3.2 million people, or 40 per cent of the population, made vulnerable by the combined effects of conflict, drought, high food prices and the collapse of the local currency.

NEARLY $720 MILLION SOUGHT FOR ZIMBABWE AID EFFORTS – UN

NEARLY $720 MILLION SOUGHT FOR ZIMBABWE AID EFFORTS – UN
New York, Jun 1 2009 2:00PM
Aid agencies in Zimbabwe today issued an appeal for $718 million to meet the humanitarian needs of some 6 million people in the southern African nation, an increase of $168 million from the original appeal launched last November, the United Nations announced.

The country has witnessed a sharp decline in the provision of basic services, considered to be one of the root causes of the spread of cholera which has infected nearly 100,000 people and claimed nearly 4,280 lives to date, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said.

The collapse of basic social services, combined with food insecurity and hyperinflation, has left 6 million people in need of humanitarian aid.

In November 2008, agencies had requested some $550 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, of which only $246 million has been received. Those funds have helped save lives by containing the cholera outbreak, providing food and agricultural assistance to vulnerable populations, and supporting vital social services including health, water and education.

Aid requirements have, however, outstripped the funds sought previously, OCHA added.

A UN inter-agency mission that visited Zimbabwe in February stressed that the country's humanitarian crisis remains grave, and urged both the Government and the international community to support the strengthening of aid efforts.

"We hope that donors will continue to be generous to the people of Zimbabwe who need help to save and rebuild their lives after years of adversity," <"http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/VDUX-7SLKFF?OpenDocument&cc=zwe">said Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Ms. Bragg, who led the assessment mission in February, added that adequate support now for a crucial sector such as agriculture will ensure that those who are currently dependent on food aid will be able to feed themselves next year.

In addition to resources to effectively contain the cholera outbreak and help improve food security, funds are also needed to enhance health care and repair water and sewage systems.

According to OCHA, 6 million people in Zimbabwe have limited or no access to safe water and sanitation in rural and urban areas. Also, some 1.3 million Zimbabweans are infected with HIV/AIDS, including 133,000 children under the age of 14. There are also 1.5 million orphaned and vulnerable children, including over 100,000 child-headed households, and thousands who remain internally displaced.

Aid agencies are concerned that unless conditions change, outbreaks of water-borne diseases at the onset of the next rainy season could lead to new cholera cases, and a serious humanitarian crisis, OCHA stated.
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