Sitrep: Wajir Emergency 28/05 –10/06/2001 - PFEDA / Page d ...

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Sitrep: Wajir Emergency 28/05 –10/06/2001 Impact on Children Constraints on Humanitarian Action Save the Children Response Save the Children Situation Report: The cholera outbreak trend from the data available indicates that more adults >15yrs are getting affected unlike before when there were more children. • Other Helena Eversole, the deputy UNICEF Country Rep. visited Wajir for a day to check on the cholera response and to arrange for local participation in the upcoming UNICEF/GoK Mid-term review of the country Master Plans of Operations for Kenya. This MTR is scheduled in Wajir from 10-17 June, conducted by an inter-sectoral team from Nairobi. She also hosted a dinner in the SC compound where DC, OoP Rep. and other government persons were invited as well as NGOs based in Wajir. The exhibited poor MoH/DHMT commitment and lack of good leadership has a negative impact on the livelihood of many vulnerable women and children in Wajir district. This is clearly portrayed by the persisting cholera epidemic in spite of financial resources and technical assistance availed by the humanitarian community (UNICEF, SC(UK) and other donors like OFDA). The constrained relationship with a member of the DHMT (see higher) and the continued fight around issues of accountability with the entire DHMT have compromised the efforts to rapidly eradicate the cholera outbreak. The suggested approach to this could be to advocate for internal changes within the DHMT or a stronger leadership to bring things under control. The alternative approach could be moving into more community involvement and using them as counterparts with the MoH as the technical advisor to the community. While this issue will be discussed during the next SC project review meeting, the current approach remains to exhaust all possible diplomatic ways to defuse the tension and to ensure accountability. • Health The SC(UK) response during the reporting period has been in the area of cholera containment. Along that line SC/UNICEF sponsored a training of 200 influential community leaders. They will mobilise their community to contain the cholera outbreak through activities like water chlorinating, improving of personal hygiene, early detection and referral of suspected cases and reporting of deaths attributed to diarrhoea and vomiting. Also as part of the response to control the cholera epidemic, SC continues to provide logistical/medical supplies and allowances to the MoH team conducting the surveillance in villages around Wajir. 4
Sitrep: Wajir Emergency 28/05 –10/06/2001 Save the Children Situation Report: • Food and Nutrition. The two nurses that were recently transferred from the (closed) TFC to the SFP team have been working very well, providing treatment and immunisation to the children in the targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme. Caution has to be exerted however to avoid that their presence at the SFP distribution sites displaces the MoH health staff currently working at the health centres and outposts. It has been emphasised to the SC nurses that they are there to complement and assist the MoH health staff, and not serve as a substitute. A mass immunisation of the village of Adhibohol (located between Hadado and Arbajahan, and home to 15 beneficiaries of the SFP), was proposed by the SC(UK) SFP staff recently. This was agreed upon, provided this is done in conjunction with MoH health staff from Hadado. This relationship needs to be monitored with due attention. Another SFP issue that needs to be addressed is the perception of the community (mothers, leaders, elders… ) of the SFP. It has long been felt by many in SC (UK) that there is little or no sense of community ownership of the SFP, but that it is rather seen as an external entity or an employment opportunity for the community. This is apparent when storage and off-loading fees are demanded by community leaders. Francis Battal (Project Manager) and Abdi Araru (Liaison Officer) have scheduled a trip to Arbajahan to sort this out with the community there. Distribution: West All sites experience decreasing enrolment numbers due to high levels of discharges and defaulters. In Hadado and Arbajahan, there was a sharp increase in the number of defaulters, though there were also many children in the programme discharged. It is suspected that migration of families towards better grazing land is the motivation for defaulting in this area. The proportion of the enrolled children gaining weight varied considerably from site to site, ranging from 56 % to 82 %. The proportion of the enrolled children losing weight ranged from 14 to 23 %. The coverage of measles immunisation, and distribution of mebendazole and vitamin A has greatly improved in the west. Among the four sites, the proportion of the enrolled children immunised with measles ranges from 88 % to 96 %, while the proportion of children who have received mebendazole and vitamin A range from 93 % to 100 %. Below is a summary of the current enrolment in the West: Location Number Under Fives Total Beneficiaries Hadado 19 67 Arbajahan 65 151 Griftu 34 98 Eldas 55 166 Total in West 173 482 North The week of 4 June was the second distribution week under a new 5
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