Initial Rapid Needs Assessment (IRNA)

Transcription

1 Initial Rapid Needs Assessment (IRNA) Report Mundri West and Mundri East Counties, Western Equatoria State 1st-4th November 2017

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Humanitarian Access... 4 Displacement trends and population figures... 5 Key findings Education Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI) Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Health Nutrition Protection GBV and Women Participation Child Protection Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Recommendations Education Shelter and Non-Food Items Food Security and Livelihood Health Nutrition Protection/GBV/Child Protection Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

3 Introduction The population of Mundri East and West counties had been severely affected by the spreading of the 2017 conflict, which led to massive, multiple population displacement. Despite different partners managed to implement interventions in some areas, up to date humanitarian access remains extremely limited or difficult. Clashes between the government forces and armed groups in Mundri East continued throughout 2016 and most of 2017, resulting in massive displacement of local population from Kedi ba and Wandi to Mundri West. Furthermore, in July 2017 fighting between SPLA and armed groups erupted in Lanyi leading to further displacement of local population to the surrounding areas, including Lozoh, Singiriwa, Wiroh, Diko, Moba, Lui, Bari, Buagyi and Dosho. Considering this, partners operating in the area called for an Initial Rapid Needs Assessment (IRNA), coordinated by Mundri Active Youth Association (MAYA) and Lacha Community and Economic Development (LCED). The IRNA took place between the 1 st and the 4 th of November The objectives were to identify the humanitarian needs of the affected population in the counties of Mundri East/West, to define priorities for the humanitarian action, and to recommend a timeline for intervention. NNGOs and INGOs participating to this IRNA included Action Africa Help- International (AAH-I), Nonviolent Peace Force (NP), Afro-Canadian Evangelical Mission (ACEM), Windle Trust International (WTI), Mundri Active Youth Association (MAYA), Community Aid for Relief and Development (CARD), Sudan Evangelical Mission (SEM), Lacha Community and Economic Development (LCED), International Aid Services (IAS), Mother and Children Development Aid (MaCDA), Food for the Hungry (FH), The Rescue Initiative South Sudan (TRI-SS), Mundri Relief and Development Association (MRDA), Grassroots Relief and Development Agency (GREDA), Auxiliary for Women and Children Organization (AWCO), Mercy Corps, Advocate Coalition for Rights and Development (ADCORD), CUAMM Doctors for Africa, and Rural Women Development South Sudan (RWDSS). UN-OCHA conducted preparatory meetings with local authorities from both sides of the conflict and community leaders in preparation to the assessment. The location assessed included: Kasiko, Lakamadi, Kedi ba, Wandi/Movo, Minga, Miri Dani, Dosho, Lui and Lanyi in Mundri East county, and Biti and Amadi center in Mundri West county. The routes used to access the locations included: Lakama di road (Amadi, 3

4 Bitti, Lakamadi, Kasiko), Kedi ba road (Dosho, Mirindani, Wandi, Kediba), and Lui road (Lui centre, Lui West Lui IDP camp). Structured IRNA questionnaires were used to collect data from Key Informants (KI) such local authorities, religious and communities leaders, Focus Groups and household representatives. 24 FGDs were conducted, using groups of people, in order to gather more information regarding the general situation. Observation techniques were also used by the assessment team to verify and supplement the information provided. Humanitarian Access Communication issues affected the assessment plan. In accordance with the local authorities, LCED and OCHA communicated the assessment details to the local authorities in the locations to be assessed. However, communities in many locations reported of not being informed about the activities. Consequently, on the 4 th of November 2017, the team that was supposed to assess Bangolo was intercepted at Bari checkpoint and ordered to return only after they had received official communication. Poor road condition was another challenge. On the 2 nd of November 2017, the plan was to visit Wiroh, Singiriwa, Midi/Lozoh, Buagyi, Jambo and Lui Center, but unfortunately the team could only assessed Lui center, since the other areas were not accessible due to poor road conditions. Additionally, the roads from Mundri West to Fig.1: poor road conditions on the way from Mundri to Kedi ba Kedi ba and Lanyi, Mundri East county, have not been maintained nor repaired in the last five years. As a result, it took long hours for the team to reach to the locations to be assessed. The converging of SPLA soldiers from Mvolo, Rumbek, Nyirol and Maridi counties to Mundri West in the first days of November caused a lot confusion and fear among the population. Civilians were displaced to the bushes, houses were burned, and properties were looted, including health facilities of AAH-I and Nutrition facilities for ACEM. The situation posed security threats to the assessment team outside Mundri town. 4

5 In conclusion, despite the good start of the assessment in areas of Kasiko, Lakamadi, Biti Amadi, Lui, Kedi ba Wandi/Movo, and Dosho, due to the above mentioned challenges the partners and OCHA decided to suspend the assessment. Displacement trends and population figures The displacement trends in the areas assessed remains worrying: civilians in Mundri East and Mundri west mainly live few kilometers away from their villages for security reasons. Thousands of civilians were reportedly displaced during the recent attacks in Lanyi. Majority of the population was said to have moved to Wiroh, singriwah and Lozoh. Civilians who were displaced from Dosho moved 6km north of that location. Communities in areas such as Wandi have also been displaced and most of the population is living out of town. People from Kediba fled to Mundri town and displaced people who were temporarily residing in Lui fled to Miri-Mududu while some returned to their villages in Kedi ba payam. Key findings 1. Education The education cluster was represented by ADCORD, MRDA, Mercy Corps and Windle Trust International. Due to the prolonged conflict and massive displacement, the educational activities in Mundri East and West counties were affected and many schools were closed, with only few still functioning. The following table presents the schools assessed, and their features. 5

6 County Payam School Pupils Teachers Type of No. Age Boys Girls Total Male Female construction C/R Mundri East Mundri East Lakamadi Biti P/S Amadi Lui Lakamadi P/S and sub schools (4) Kasiko P/S Amadi P/S Lui P/S, Lunjini Permanent -Semipermanent Under the Permanent -14 P/S, Gwori, Semipermanent -15 Galanju, Delewa, Miri Under the Lui girls S/S Permanent 6 Magiri Bekenye Dosho P/S P/S, Pre- Kediba Kediba school Movo P/S Wandi P/S Mirindani P/S P/S , Permanent 11 -Permanent -Semipermanent -Under the -Permanent -Under the tree Under the tree Permanent Permanent -Under the tree Permanent -Under the tree 9 8 -Semipermanent -Under the tree Under the tree of Tab.2: Education data divided by school. The challenges encountered in most schools include the fact that many schools have not been operating for the last two years; of the functional ones, most of them operate under the tree, lack scholastic material and blackboards, have few teachers (mainly male teachers) and few permanent classrooms, mainly in bad space, and lack sanitary facilities such as latrines and urinals. Most partners are not supporting education in the areas assessed, where school also lack supervision by the county education department, and lack School Management Committees (SMC) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA). 6

7 2. Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI) According to the RRC projections, the total population for Mundri East is 99,610 individuals (19,922 HHs) and the one of Mundri West is 97,454 individuals (19,491 HHs). Of those, the cumulative number of IDPs for the two counties is 27,160 individuals (5,432HHs), while returnees are 22,700 individuals (4,540 HHs). In the areas assessed, many people do not have adequate shelters and NFIs. IDPs and returnees mostly depend on the host community for the scarce resources, which is source of conflict in most areas. IDPs, returnees and the host communities reported that the shelter material is not available in their area of residence, and it needs to be brought from far away, with associated risk of attacks, abduction, rape and killings. In the areas assessed the market structure is partially functional, but shelter materials are not available among the items sold, and the IDPs, returnees and host communities lack purchasing power. The situation is continuously deteriorating due to the overuse of the NFI, which are shared among a high number of households. The cooking pots were wearing out, jerry cans were obsoleted, and some households were not able to afford blankets, mosquito net, sleeping mats, plastic sheet and soap. According to the local authorities and the RRC, the IDPS and Returnees were not supported by any humanitarian agency due to access concerns. Newly displaced persons and returnees were not able to carry their belongings from their previous place of residence, due to the political conflict. Therefore, the situation is expected to worsen in the near future, if appropriate assistance is not provided. Immediate interventions should prioritize the most vulnerable households including persons with disabilities, pregnant women and lactating mothers, elderly persons and unaccompanied minors. It is recommended that S/NFI partners verify the effective beneficiaries for an intervention, including the most vulnerable households among the IDPs, returnees and partially the host community. 3. Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) The FSL cluster was represented by Sudan Evangelical Mission (SEM), Food for the Hungry, Afro- Canadian Evangelical Mission (ACEM), Grassroots Relief and Development Agency (GREDA), Mother and Children Development Aid (MaCDA), Food for the Hungry (FH). Insecurity in July and December 2016 affected the food production of 2016 and 2017 in the whole of Mundri East County, which led to mass displacement of the population to Mundri West and Lui payam. All belonging were left behind, most of which were looted or burnt, and crops were not harvested. The few people who remained hid in the bush and most of them have no access to their farms to harvest and weed the short term Sorghum variety. Few people had access to their farms from April to May, and the good amount of rainfall allows farmers to cultivate from June to July. The whole of Kedi ba payam in 7

8 Mundri East county has only one planting season and once crops are affected by the dry spell, they have to wait for the following year to plant again. Dosho, Wandi and Miri-dani in Kedi ba payam had a prolonged dry spell during earlier June July this year 2017, while erratic rains severely reduced crop production, mostly sorghum, maize and groundnuts, affecting the harvesting season of September-October. As the result, the population of Kedi ba and Miinge is going to face a shortage of food between December 2017 and early January 2018, followed by widespread hunger, even considering the current return of IDPs from Lui. Lakama di, Motala, Kasiko and Madumgama in Lakama di payam have received sufficient rainfall in time and all crops were planted in the same month. Sporadic rains (4 times in May and 6 in June) did not affect much the crop production, but the prolonged dry spell from July to August in Kasiko affected the production of maize and sorghum. There was fairly good production of sesame, while green grams are showing signs of low production, which will lead to hunger between March and April In Lakamadi Centre there is a numbers of IDPs who crossed from Dari and Lessi payam, Mvolo county, fleeing attacks from armed cattle keepers from Yirol and Rumbek (December 2016-June 2017) who were accessing water and pasture for their livestock. Conflict started in the northern payam of Mvolo county which causes displacement, destruction and looting of property, and added huge pressure on the available food in the host community. This made both host community and IDPs become vulnerable. In Lui center and Lui IDP camp, in 2016 the rainfall started early in April at the beginning of the farming season, farmers access their farm and planted all their crops including maize, sorghum, groundnut, simsim and cassava. When the conflict started in July 2016, the heavy deployment of government forces in Greater Mundri led to huge loss of lives among civilians, mass displacement from the villages to Lui center. All the farms were been left behind without weeding, there was huge looting of property and some villages were burnt down. Adding to the poor harvest, this puts more pressure to the host community in Lui center, which has to share its resources with the huge number of IDPs. The little food they had got finished in February Both host community and IDPs lost their local variety of seeds and the cassava stocks because insecurity hindered access to their farms. Since the beginning of 2017 no humanitarian intervention has been implemented in Lui by any agency, with the exception of food distribution from ICRC to the IDPs in Lui in July. In Miinga payam, the 2016 harvest failed due to the prolonged dry spell which affected the long term sorghum, groundnut and sesame. The fighting in July and December 2016 led almost half of the population to flee to Lui town in search of a relatively peaceful place to settle. Those who remained behind did not harvest there crops due to the fear of attacks by the both parties of the conflict. In 2017 rainfall started in April and all the planned crops were timely planted. However, the lack of rain for the whole month of August affected the crop production; only a small number of farmers could harvest few crops. In Minga, Food for the Hungry, as implementing partner of WFP, distributed food commodities in July 2017 and crop kits, vegetable kits and agricultural tools. 8

9 In Bitti and Amadi Boma, Amadi payam, the rainfall started at mid-may 2017, which discouraged the farming population to plant their crops at the beginning of the season. The 2016 conflict forced the farming population to flee to Amadi payam from neighboring areas, due to less likelihood of attacks. This has affected the ability of the farmers to produce sufficient food, given the distance from their farmlands. Some households terminated their food stocks in March 2017, and are now collecting wild fruits and vegetables resistant to the dry spell. Food for the Hungry, in partnership with WFP and FAO have distributed crop and vegetable kits, and fishing kits to the most vulnerable households in Amadi and Bitti payam. Fig.2: person showing how most crops have been destroyed by the dry spell in Kasiko. In Kedi ba payam the harvest of 2016 was exhausted in January 2017, while in Lakama di, Kasiko, Motala and Madumgama the food stocks were exhausted in May 2017, and in Lui in April Considering that, the period between April and June 2018 is most likely going to be critical in terms of food shortages, marking an indication of hunger season. Moreover, hunting, fishing and gathering of wild fruits and vegetables are estimated 20% below the normal rate. The 2016 combined low harvest and crop yield reduction has exacerbated the food insecurity situation, showing an early onset of the normal hunger season. Concerning livestock, in Kedi ba and Miinge payam there is a high rate of deaths from diseases among the cattle and goats. Lack humanitarian access due to insecurity has hindered the provision of veterinary services in 2016 and Most livestock diseases usually strike between June and September every year. 9

10 Item Quantity Price in 2016 Price in 2017 Rice 1kg 80 SSP 180 SSP Sorghum 1kg 50 SSP 60 SSP Sugar 1kg 80 SSP 200 SSP Cooking oil 1 l 100 SSP 400 SSP Baking powder 2 kg SSP 350 SSP Washing soap 1 bar 70 SSP 120 SSP Tab.3: Difference in market prices in Mundri East county between The market performance is currently low; in Kedi ba and Minga all markets have been closed down due to the ongoing insecurity which forces the population to hide in the bush. Lakama di, Amadi and Lui markets do not have capacity to satisfy the high food shortages and grain demand, even for households having incomes from the sale of cattle, goats and firewood. Other activities such as bee keeping are seasonal. Most goods in Lui market come from Juba, while in Lakama di market small traders bring their goods from Mundri West county and few from Juba. Business people are always complaining of looting of items on the way by armed groups, in the latter case between Mundri west and Amadi payam, and between Lanyi and Buagyi. Within the market centers we access, the stocks are very limited and most households have very low purchasing powers since prices of goods are skyrocketed. The current copying mechanisms in Kedi ba and Minga involve consuming wild vegetable such as rere, aroku, lawi, cassava leaf, etc. selling of goats and chickens by the few who possess, and reduction of number and size of meals and migration to areas such as Lui and Mundri town. In Lui and Amadi, few people try to survive selling charcoal and firewood, but it is not a lucrative activity due to the lack of a good market and little purchasing power of most of the population. 4. Health The health cluster was represented by Action Africa Help International (AAH-I), Sudan Evangelical Mission (SEM) and TRI-SS. Generally, AAH-I supports all health facilities in Mundri East county (21) and Mundri West county (19). CUAMM supports Lui Hospital in Mundri East county. However, only 10 out of 21 (48%) health facilities in Mundri East were functional at the time of the assessment, of which, only 14% had cold chain (Minga and Kasiko PHCU and Lui hospital), and only 3 out of 19 (16%) are functional in Mundri West (Mundri PHCC, Amadi PHCU & Bitti PHCU). Six health facilities were visited during the assessment: Kedi ba and Lakamadi PHCCs, Dosho, Wandi and Kasiko PHCUs, and Lui hospital. In all locations, no unusual illnesses were reported by the community over the week prior to the assessment. In the non-functioning facilities of Kedi ba, Dosho and Wandi routine immunization services had not been provided to the people for nearly ten months. This is further exacerbated by the reported failure by health partners in conducting planned outreaches due to insecurity. The only Expanded programme on Immunization (EPI) services were only offered once during the October November NIDs 3rd Round. In Kedi ba PHCC generally no healthcare services were provided since January 2017, due to the massive displacement of people, including health workers, in December The staff members were reportedly relocated to the IDP site in Mundri town, which now hosts about 795 households (4,166 10

11 County Payam Health facility Type of facility Functional Kedi'ba PHCC NO Magyiri PHCU NO Mundri East Kedi'ba Lakama'di Lui Minga Witto Bekenye PHCU NO Wandi PHCU NO Dosoh PHCU NO Movo PHCU NO Lakama'di PHCC YES Kasiko PHCU YES Lui Hospital YES Lozoh PHCU NO Lanyi PHCC YES Wiroh PHCU NO Singiriwa PHCU NO Doroh PHCU NO Gabat PHCU YES Buagyi PHCU YES Doroh PHCU NO Minga PHCU NO Aggyi PHCU NO Kporolo PHCU YES Mariba PHCU YES Mideh PHCC YES individuals). The facility is now being operated as emergency clinic to provide lifesaving healthcare services with support from AAH-I. Since it is within 1km radius of Mundri PHCC, IDPs can access full health services in that facility. Children months represent the 18% of the population, children below 11 years of age the 4%, and pregnant women another 4%. Essential supplies and equipment were completely looted during the fighting. All doors and windows of the facility were broken, and the furniture looted. No health personnel were observed on the ground at the time of the assessment. Only 3 live births were reported Tab.4: Health facilities in Mundri East county by the community in the last seven days prior to the assessment, none of which was assisted by a skilled attendant. One maternal death and one neonatal death were reported. The closest health facility to Kedi ba is in Lakama di, a four hours journey by foot. Lakama di PHCC is currently run by AAH-I, despite the ongoing insecurity in the neighboring areas. The facility has been facing on-and-off drug stock outs especially as a result of the insecurity in Mundri East County. The breakdown of the cold chain in the facility means that no routine immunization is taking place. However, EPI services are offered once a month during EPI acceleration outreaches activities. Besides that, the population was also covered during the October November NIDs 3rd round with good coverage. The number of live births recorded during the last seven days prior to the assessment was two, all conducted by skilled birth attendants, while no maternal nor neonatal deaths were recorded. Due to lack of basic health services in the neighboring payam of Kedi ba, the number of patients accessing lifesaving curative and preventive services at the facility is overwhelming. The facility has essential medicines such as ACT/ Amodiaquine for children and adults; Cotrimoxazole; Amoxicillin; Paracetamol; ORS; Vaccines BCG, OPV, DPT, TT, Measles; Vitamin A. The available stock of supplies was expected to last between 1 to 3 months, from the time of the assessment. The most common 11

12 ailments which noted during the assessment were malaria (83) and Acute Respiratory Infections (66) for both children U5 and 5 and above 7 days prior to the assessment. 3 pregnancy related conditions were recorded; however, no deaths were reported in the last 7 days prior to the date of the assessment. The number of health personnel is inadequate (2 Nurses, 3 midwives, 6 vaccinators and 1 Lab Assistant). This is exacerbated further by the lack of medical equipment such as BP machine, thermometers etc. Access to adequate reproductive health services to both IPDs and the host communities is limited as a result of the conflict, further complicating maternal, neonatal and child health. In addition, key RH Kits, including PEP and other Kits for management of rape were unavailable at the time of the assessment. This further complicates the level of exposure of women of girls to risks of SGBV amidst the ongoing insecurity. Timely submission of the weekly IDSR reports to the CHD/WHO/SMoH is not possible due to lack of cellphone network services aggravated further by the access challenges. This implies low level of emergency preparedness and response capacity in an event of disease outbreak. In Dosho and Wandi PHCUs, no health-care services were provided in the facility since January 2017, due to conflict and displacement of people and health personnel, with only one community health worker. In Dosho, one midwife and four vaccinators are remaining in the area. Twelve live births were reported by the community in the area, of which seven were conducted by skilled birth attendant. No maternal and neonatal deaths were reported in the past s even days prior to the assessment. Lakama di PHCC and Bitti PHCU are the closest functional health facilities, more than four hours of walking from Dosho. Fig.3: Looted and destroyed PHCC in Kedi ba 12

13 Similarly, the closest health-care center to Wandi is Lui hospital, 30 miles (48 km) away. All the door and windows of Wandi PHCU were broken, and all essential supplies and equipment were looted during the conflict. The facility is reportedly headed by a Community Health Worker, and the remaining personnel include one TBA and three vaccinators. However, all were displaced as a result of the conflict. Other health personnel present in the community at the time of the assessment were one Community Health Worker, one TBA and three vaccinators. There were seven live births reported by the community in the area, of which none was conducted by skilled birth attendant, and no maternal nor neonatal deaths was reported. Lakama di PHCC and Lui hospital are the closest facilities, more than four hour walking from Wandi. Kasiko PHCU is headed by a nurse and has an average of 30 curative consultations per day. There are only three health staff members, including one nurse and two vaccinators. There are no Maternal Community Health Workers (MCHW) in the facility. The most common ailments which noted during the assessment were malaria (196), diarrhoea (30) and Acute Respiratory Infections (12) for both children under five and five and above seven days prior to the assessment. Three pregnancy-related conditions and two injuries were recorded; however, no infant death (under and above 5) was reported in the last seven days prior to the assessment. Routine immunization services are being provided since the facility has a functional cold chain. The population was also covered during the October November NIDs 3rd Round. The facility has no delivery room. Only one live birth was reported by the community in the area, not conducted by skilled attendant, and no maternal not neonatal deaths were reported in the seven days prior to the assessment. Essential drugs such as ACT/Amodiaquine for children and adults; Cotrimoxazole; Amoxicillin; Paracetamol; and ORS were unavailable at the time of the visit. In addition, Reproductive Health Kits, including Mama Kits and Dignity Kits for women and girls, PEP etc. were not observed. However, vaccines i.e. Measles, DPT, Polio, BCG and TT were available. Timely submission of the weekly IDSR Reports to the CHD/WHO/SMoH is impeded due to lack of mobile network services aggravated further by the movement challenges. Implying low level of emergency preparedness and response capacity in an event of disease outbreak. Lui Hospital was completely functional at the time of the assessment. Currently, the hospital acts as a referral hospital for Mundri East, Mundri West and Mvolo counties. The facility has 19 Nurses, 3 doctors, five clinical officers, three vaccinators, eight midwives, three lab technicians and two staff members trained on CMR. The hospital has an average of 646 curative consultations per day. Routine immunization services are being provided to the people, and the hospital has functional cold chain. Men, women, girls and boys are accessing services in the facility without restriction considering the cultural practices. Flow of surveillance information is not affected since there is internet service though cellphone network is a challenge. The most common ailments reported during the assessment were malaria (398) and diarrhoea (15) for both children under and above five years old seven days prior to the assessment. However, no deaths were reported in the last seven days prior to the assessment. There were only nine live births reported 13

14 by the community in the last seven days prior to assessment, all conducted by skilled attendants, while no maternal and neonatal deaths were reported. 5. Nutrition The nutrition cluster was represented by Action Africa Help-International (AAH-I) and Afro-Canadian Evangelical Mission (ACEM). Fig.4: MUAC measurement for children 5 and above Location Total Pregnant <23cm Total Lactating <23cm Total Pregnant 23cm Total Lactating 23cm Total PLW screened Lakamadi Centre Kasiko Amadi Bitti Lui center Kediba center Wandi Milindani Dosho TOTAL Tab.5: Screening results PLW The assessment finding revealed limited food availability at household level, due to low harvest experienced during the season. Poor feeding practices were witnessed during the assessment, and also the daily meal frequency was reported as inadequate at HH levels, putting children under five years old at risk to malnutrition. Giving limited and low harvest, the daily dietary intake is also very poor, also due limited access to information on proper use of the available resources or food in a balanced manner. 14

15 Poor sanitation and hygiene conditions were witnessed in the few households visited. This also contributes to poor nutrition and health of individuals and of the community as a whole. Other concerns include inadequate safe clean drinking, bathing and domestic use water at household level, limited access to social services due to fear of insecurity, non-operational health services, education and social networks, and lack of social safety to enhance the standard of living at all levels. Concerning nutrition, the SAM-GAM rate for children under five years old is 2%, while the MAM-GAM rate is 6%, and the overall GAM is 8%, by the Middle-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) measurement. The Pregnant women GAM rate is 4.2%, lactating mothers GAM rate is 4.8% and the overall PLW GAM is 9%, by the MUAC. Most families cannot access the basic services since they live deep in villages and their movements are restricted due to insecurity on the road. In the areas where the health facilities are functioning, the entire community leaves far from the facilities. There is limited coverage of Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) massages reach to the communities to care for their children. In these communities, the traditional health belief system is still in practice. Location # of boys with oedema # of boys with # of boys with # of boys with yellow MUAC red MUAC green MUAC 11.5cm to <11.5cm 12.5cm <12.5cm # of boys screened # of girls with oedema # of girls # of girls # of girls with Red with yellow with green MUAC MUAC MUAC <11.5cm <12.5cm 12.5cm # of girls screened Total U5 screened Lakamadi Centre Kasiko Amadi Bitti Lui center Kediba center Wandi/ Miri-dani Dosho TOTAL Tab.6: Screening results for children 5-69 months 6. Protection The protection cluster was represented by Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), Active Youths Association (AYA), and Grassroot Relief and Development Agency (GREDA). Community members in all locations assessed narrated that they couldn t go out of their communities to access resources because of fear of being harmed or killed. Community members have mainly abandoned their farmlands. They also narrated that they couldn t access health facilities for treatment 15

16 because of insecurity on the roads leading to health facilities out of their locations. Mundri East communities assessed remains the most affected by this situation. The prevalence of drunken armed actors in the locations assessed remains one of the biggest threats to communities, who reported harassment and looting of goods by conflicting armed actors. Civilians narrated that they live in the forest where WASH, hygiene and other facilities are unavailable. The rationale for their hibernation in those locations was for security purpose as they claimed to have been looted by armed actors operating in their localities. Both men and women narrated that they face threats from armed actors. There is high need for accompaniment of community members under threat in order for them to access outside locations for different activities/services. There is need for communities to have primary health care in their locations in order to mitigate health related issues, If not there should be a mobile clinic provided to those communities by-weekly. Armed actors Commanders should regulate the proliferation of arms in the hands of drunken comrades. Acts of harassment should be dealt with by commanders in charge. There is absence peace committees in all areas assessed. Setting up peace committees in all areas will strengthen peaceful coexistence in communities. 6.1 GBV and Women Participation In the areas assessed, rape was reported as perpetrated by armed actors and such actors which were never prosecuted. Some survivors received treatment and some didn t due to lack of services in their locations. GBV survivors lack access to psychosocial services i.e. counselling and health services. There is need for psychosocial counselling for GBV survivors, intensive awareness raising on GBV and there is serious need to set up a referral pathway for Mundri East in order to ensure an efficient referral and management of GBV cases. Inequality between men and women existed in areas assessed. Women narrated that they weren t included in decision making in their communities, and that they cannot access nearby forest to collect firewood because of fear of being raped. Those who are heads of household in their communities are not economically empowered to live up to the task; they lack support to take care of their families. There was lack of GBV awareness and gender mainstreaming in the communities assessed. Young girls and women of reproductive age do not have access to dignity kits. There is absence of women s groups in communities, only church groups were available. Women s protection teams could serve as a catalyst for community protection. There is little knowledge on risk analysis and self-protection mechanisms by women. There is need for capacity building for women s groups when formed, which is essential for them to put in place such mechanisms and support vulnerable women. There is need to promote women s participation in decision making within local Governance structure at community level. 16

17 Finally, domestic violence is a common practice within community of Mundri, although it is not sanctioned by the local justice system. There is need to strengthen such system through activities such as capacity building and awareness raising among others. 6.2 Child Protection Harmful traditional practices remain high in the areas assessed. Girls under 12 years of age have been reportedly married off to elderly men for economic reasons. Many young girls below 18 years of age were reported to be out of school. Early pregnancy for girls under 18 years of age was reported to be prevalent in the communities assessed, where many children below 14 years of age dropped out of school due to pregnancies. Girls under 18 do not have access to preventive services. Girls are generally treated unequally compared to their male compatriots. There is need to take action and effective measures to tackle harmful practices such as early pregnancies and marriages among girls, and to encourage the enrolment of the girl child into schools. There is little access to schools in the areas assessed and the few schools available where located out of reach for thousands of children and lacked teaching, and learning materials. Teachers are also unavailable in most location assessed, and children lacked adequate safe space and recreational facilities. There is need to construct more schools in many other areas where there are gaps and supply teaching, and learning materials. The ongoing conflict has exposed children to traumatic conditions and thus increases the need for counselling services. 7. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) The WASH cluster/sector was covered by International Aid Services (IAS), Lead, Lacha Community and Economic Development (LCED), Community Aid for Relief and Development (CARD), Mundri Active Youth Association (MAYA) and Auxiliary for Women and Children Organization (AWCO). The results of the assessment showed that on average, in all locations assessed, hand pumps are the most used water sources (80%), while the least used are open wells and surface water such as rivers, streams and swamps (20%). The average distance from a water point ranges from 2 to 5 Km. The daily consumption of litres of water per person ranges from 4 to 7, the average waiting time at a water source ranges from 30 to 97 minutes, and the average time taken to and from the water source from 1 to 3 hours. Generally there is need to increase the amount of water points to reduce time taken to collect water and increase the amount of 17

18 water for consumption. Usage of unsafe water points like rivers, wells, ponds and swamps is moderate, but this can be reduced by drilling of new hand pumps or rehabilitation of the existing broken ones. The results of the assessment also showed that the hygiene and sanitation conditions are poor, which requires community awareness campaigns on good practices. In fact, poor hygiene and sanitation practices make communities susceptible to preventable disease such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera among others. Payams Lakamadi 05 39,13.7 Lui Kediba GPS Coordinates Percentage Safe Unsafe N E sources sources % 15% 80% 20% 80% 20% Tab.7: Access to safe and unsafe water sources More than half of the population in Mundri East county (60%-80%) reported to have access to safe water sources through limited number of functional hand pumps. Majority of the hand pumps have low water yield during dry season and in case of population influx and sometimes leakages in the pipes. Apart from the communities that access safe water sources, there are also communities who are collect water from seasonal ponds, swamps, streams and rivers in areas where there are no functional hand pumps in some parts of Mundri East. Most of the unsafe water sources are exposed to massive biological contamination due open defecation practiced by the communities. It was also observed the communities that collect water from unsafe sources don t use any of the water treatment methods such as boiling, chlorination and filtering water prior to consumption. The communities reported absence of chlorine, filter clothes and lack of awareness on negative effects of consumption of untreated water that lead wide spread of water borne disease such as diarrhoea, cholera among others. County Mundri East Mundri East Mundri East Mundri Payam Total No. hand pumps Functional hand pumps Nonfunctional hand pumps Kediba Witto Lozoh Lakamdi East Water consumption is very low despite the fact Mundri that the communities primarily source water East Minga from hand pumps. Most households in Mundri Mundri Lui East, especially in Lakama di, Kedi ba and Lozoh East TOTAL (Lui) payams did not meet the Sphere standard of 15 liters of water per person, per day. In Tab.8: Number of hand water pumps in Mundri East addition, a small percentage of households in Mundri East were reported to consume less than 5 liters per person per day. Less consumption of water within the communities was attributed to low yields of the functional hand pumps, overpopulation 18

19 around few functional hand pumps, as well as lack of enough water, containers and long distance to access water sources. The number of water containers is between 1-2 jerry cans per household. 166 hand pumps are present in Mundri East counties, and although few have been repaired by some WASH partners (IAS, OXFAM GB), but most of them are no longer functional and need rehabilitation. Also some functional water pump need rehabilitation, since they have been more than five years without servicing. There are no spare parts and pump technicians within the communities. Few trained pump technicians who work in the Rural Water Department are based in Mundri West county, because of insecurity, hence they have no capacity to respond in case of breakage. Payam Percentage (%) People using HH latrines People practicing open defecation Lakamadi 25% 75% Lui 45% 55% Kediba 30% 70% Tab.9: people using pit lathrines in Mundri East county The proportion of households accessing latrines in Mundri East was found to be very low especially in Lakama di and Kedi ba payams. In Lui it was observed that 45% of the total households have latrines. Open defecation was found to be rampant in all the payams assessed in Mundri East and this is combined with consumption of unsafe water which can lead to spread of diarrhoea and cholera among the community, especially children under 5 years of age. There are few reported cases of SGBV by girls and women as they go for open defecation and also during collection of water from far distance. Virtually, most of the people in Mundri East are not practicing safe disposal of human waste (feces) into pit latrines or the use of cat methods, with exception of Lui. The communities said, they are lacking digging tool and it was also observed that, lack of willingness from the communities to construct latrines in their households could significantly increase health risks more especially during the rainy season, because most of unprotected water sources will be easily contaminated. The results of the assessment shows that the level of hygiene in all the locations covered is alarming. Adolescent girls and women of reproductive age don t have access to sanitary pads; some of them use cotton clothes while majority don t have even that. Handwashing at critical time has been practiced by the communities, however most of the people wash their hands only with water and very few use soap, since majority cannot afford to buy it, or it is not available at local markets (e.g. Kedi ba and Lakama di). Recommendations The team recommended that for the next assessment the CSOs, NNGOs and INGOs which will participate must be thoroughly scrutinized, in order to ensure that none of them has ties with either side of the conflict. Furthermore, they advocate for OCHA to provide either cash or in-kind support for coordination. There is need to conduct two-day training to the enumerators before embarking on the 19

20 field, this is since some are not familiar with the questionnaire. Furthermore, partners should make sure that a minimum number of enumerator is hired for the assessment. All the locations visited need urgent interventions of humanitarian actors because of the non-existing services in most of the sectors. There is need for construction of more permanent education facilities, renovation of schools which have been destroyed, training and hiring of new teachers, especially female ones, and provision of refresher courses and professional development courses for the existing teachers, as well as trainings on their code of conduct. Furthermore, there is need to mobilize the community to increase the school attendance, to train SMC/PTA in their role and construct more latrines and urinals. 1. Education There is need to construct full primary schools where structures are not present, and more permanent classrooms, renovate schools which have been totally destroyed, and to construct more latrines and urinals. More teachers, especially female teachers, need to be recruited and trained, the present ones need to be provided with refresher courses and be trained on their code of conduct, while SMC/PTA need to be trained on their roles. Also, the community has to be mobilized in order to increase school attendance. 2. Shelter and Non-Food Items Concerning the S/NFI cluster, there is need for verification and registration of the most vulnerable households, especially for the growing number of IDPs in Mundri town. LCED will seek support from the S/NFI cluster to mobilize funds to respond to the urgent needs of the growing number of IDPs in Mundri. When the security situation will allow it, there is need to undertake in-depth assessment to prioritize more robust S/NFI response, including Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) where needed. 3. Food Security and Livelihood There is need for immediate distribution of food by WFP/FSL cluster, distribution of fishing kits to be used in the upcoming fishing season (November/December), provision of fast-maturing and droughtresistant crop varieties, training of farmers on new crop varieties and vegetable farming, distribution of crop and vegetable kits, and vaccination of livestock across Mundri East/West counties. 4. Health Regarding the health cluster, there is need to immediately assess the health facilities and initiate a plan to reopen the closed ones, increase the number of staff members in the functioning health facilities, and immediately re-stock them of essential drugs such as SCT/Amodiaquine for children and adultspartners recommend the scale-up of EPI acceleration outreach activities to supplement mobile clinic services, strengthening the referral system for Obstetric and Neonatal Emergencies providing new facilities and equipment as well as the disease surveillance system, with particular focus on community-based disease surveillance system. 20

21 5. Nutrition Under the nutrition cluster, mass screening is required to determine accurate GAM rate for children under five and PLW, as well as distribution food, especially in Kedi ba payam, and set-up of mobile clinics, especially to reach pregnant women with SNC services in areas where health facilities are functional. Protection requires accompaniment of community members under threat, regulate the use of small arms and light weapons by children, and set-up peace committees in the areas assessed. 6. Protection/GBV/Child Protection Concerning protection, it was reported that there is high need for accompaniment of community members under threat in order for them to access outside locations for different activities/services, due to the reported attacks from armed actors. Related to that, armed actors commanders should regulate the proliferation of arms in the hands of drunken comrades, while acts of harassment should be dealt with by commanders in charge. There is also need to set-up peace committees in all areas in order to strengthen peaceful co-existence in communities. Specifically concerning GBV, there is need to strengthen the local Justice system through capacity building, awareness raising and other activities geared towards strengthening the local justice system. Setting up women s protection teams could serve as a catalyst for community protection, also by building their capacity to put in place self-protection mechanisms and support vulnerable women. In addition, there is need for psychosocial counseling for GBV survivors, raise awareness on the topic among the community, and set up a referral mechanism. Women's participation in decision-making within local Governance structure at community level should be promoted, and girls and women of reproductive age should be provided with MHM kits. Child protection should also be strengthened by carrying out effective campaign against harmful practices such as children carrying fire arms, early marriages (girl child), to encourage the enrolment of the girl child into schools, and to mitigate female school dropout due to teenage pregnancy. Additionally, there is need to create more child friendly space for children in the area, identify children victim of traumatic events and provide them psychosocial counseling services. 7. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Finally, the general WASH situation in Mundri East need urgent interventions and response in most of the areas assessed to address the soft and hardware components of WASH activities. There is fear that some hand pumps might dry out, because the water table/level always go down during dry season and half of the total boreholes need rehabilitation. There is need for quick rehabilitation of the nonfunctional hand pumps including some functional ones that have not been repaired since the conflict started, reconstitute the water management committees to take the ownership of the latter, train local hand-pump technicians, and provide WASH NFIs such as water containers, water purification tabs, chlorine (PuR), filters, etc. There is also need to train the communities on all types of water treatment methods, provide soap and MHM kits to girls and women of reproductive age, sensitize the 21

22 communities on the relevance of handwashing with soap at critical moments, and reduce open defecation practices by digging pit latrines and create awareness on their importance in preventing contamination of open/surface water sources. Prepared by Monica Berti Programme Manager Lacha Community and Economic Development