UNICEF is requesting US$22 million to meet the humanitarian needs of children and women in Haiti in 2015.
Despite a reduction in the reported number of cholera cases in Haiti in 20141, an outbreak of the disease remains a threat in the country, including an ongoing outbreak of infections in the West Department (the most populous department) demonstrating that continuous efforts are still required to reduce cholera transmission. Haiti was also hit in 2014 by an outbreak of Chikungunya fever, affecting some 64,695 persons, including 5,000 children under age 5.2 As of October 2014, almost 94 per cent of Haitians displaced after the 2010 earthquake had left displacement sites. Out of 85,432 persons still living in the 123 Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Port-au-Prince area, approximately 12,7733 men, women and children do not have access to appropriate toilets. Despite a reported drought situation in the Northwest Department in early 2014, food security has reportedly improved due to a good spring harvest. Heavy rainfall in November caused flooding in the North and Northwest Departments affecting about 15,000 households as well as crops. This flooding could negatively impact next year’s harvest in these areas, with a resulting decline in household economy and overall nutritional status.
Humanitarian strategy
In 2015, UNICEF will ensure continuous support to the national cholera elimination plan, supporting six NGO partners and the Government in delivering WASH rapid response and daily surveillance in areas at risk during the dry season (December to May) aiming at reducing the transmission before the rainy season starts in June 2015. UNICEF will continue to work closely with PAHO and the Ministry of Health to undertake a new vaccination campaign targeting 313,000 people. The future of the remaining IDP camps in Port-au-Prince area is not well defined although the Government’s official willingness is to close all the camps by 2015. To attend to humanitarian needs there and to avoid deterioration in living conditions, where there is also an increased risk of resurgence of cholera cases, UNICEF will extend its support to Government (DINEPA4) to ensure appropriate sanitary living conditions for displaced persons. In the area of WASH sector coordination efforts, UNICEF will support the transition of this function to the Government. Information management mechanism and capacity, DINEPA SOP development, rapid needs assessment capacity building and emergency WASH guidelines production will be the main objectives of this support. UNICEF’s nutrition strategy continues to focus on preventing the deterioration of the nutritional situation through micronutrients supplementation (targeting 600,000 children), and on supporting the treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) through capacity building for the Ministry of Health, including monitoring nutritional status and providing treatment for 20,000 children with SAM under-five in 2015. The priority for child protection is to continue strengthening the capacity of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research to better address the protection needs of children during emergency situations at national and departmental levels, as well as raising awareness of the disaster-affected population about CP risks and response measures during emergencies. UNICEF also aims to increase collaboration with the Ministry of Education to promote disaster resilience through retrofitting 150 schools making them more disaster resistant (safe learning facilities); school disaster management; and DRR education. To foster people’s resilience, social protection mechanisms will be implemented in three Communes through conditional cash transfer based on vulnerabilities assessment results and household’s development results.