Eastern and Southern Africa

ADDIS ABABA, 1 March 2024 – During a five-day visit to Ethiopia, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ted Chaiban, urged the international community to immediately scale up their support for children and families to avert a deepening humanitarian catastrophe throughout the country. “Ethiopia is facing multiple crises and needs are outpacing our…

NAIROBI, 1 September 2023 – Children in Africa are among the most at risk of the impacts of climate change but are woefully neglected by the key climate financing flows required to help them adapt, survive and respond to the climate crisis. According to a UNICEF report released today, Time to Act: African children in the climate change spotlight,…

KIGALI/NEW YORK, 18 July 2023 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate is joining thousands of girls and women at the Women Deliver Conference in Rwanda this week to call for increased investment to protect and promote the rights of adolescent girls. Ugandan climate activist Nakate made the call during a one-week visit with UNICEF to Kigali,…

NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG, 23 MAY 2023 - Children in the Horn of Africa are living through an unprecedented large-scale crisis of hunger, displacement, water scarcity, and insecurity. More than 7 million children under the age of 5 remain malnourished and in need of urgent nutrition support, and over 1.9 million children are at risk of dying from…

MAPUTO, 25 April 2023 – “More than 28,000 cases of cholera have now been recorded in Mozambique. This is ten times the figure reported at the start of February, and more than half of cases are among children. "Case numbers continue to increase, putting children and families at ever more risk. And now, cases of malaria and diarrhoea, other leading…

NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG/NEW YORK, 19 March 2023 – Millions of children are at risk in the face of a potential increase in cholera cases in Malawi and Mozambique in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which has ravaged both countries for the second time in less than a month. Devastation and flooding caused by the cyclone have added to the…

JUBA, 3 November 2022 – Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood, drought, and conflict-affected areas of South Sudan, with some communities likely to face starvation if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and climate adaptation measures are not scaled-up, the United Nations warned today. The latest Integrated Food Security…

What’s happening in the Horn of Africa?, A prolonged drought across large swathes of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya has unleashed hunger, thirst, displacement and death on already vulnerable communities as crops fail and livestock die. Communities have been forced to take extreme measures to survive, with thousands of children and families leaving their homes out of pure desperation in…, Recent news and features, How are children affected?, Consecutive seasons of poor rainfall has killed crops, animals and livestock, resulting in the loss of nutritious food. This, coupled with poor access to safe water and sanitation, has left many children at a high risk of malnutrition. As a result, the number of children in the Horn of Africa region who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition…, Learn about UNICEF’s work in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Find out more, Eritrea, Find out more, Ethiopia, Find out more, Kenya, Find out more, Somalia, Find out more, Eastern and Southern Africa, Find out more, How is UNICEF responding to climate crises in the region?, UNICEF is working to ensure that drought-affected children and families can receive the lifesaving support they so urgently need, while also supporting their recovery and building resilience against future shocks. Somalia. A mobile health and nutrition team provides treatment for internally displaced persons at a camp in Mogadishu. A mobile health…, UNICEF is working with partners to:, Provide access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. This includes emergency water trucking, urgent rehabilitation and repairs of water supply systems, drilling new boreholes, and hygiene promotion activities. Ensure access to nutritional support. This includes increasing procurement of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and expanding the…, What next?, In July 2022, UNICEF  launched a regional call to action to address the drought crisis. Thanks to early and rapid interventions by partners and donors in 2022, UNICEF provided lifesaving aid to children and communities across the region.  But food insecurity and other needs remain high due to the sheer magnitude of the crisis and the years of…

NEW YORK/NAIROBI/DAKAR, 23 August 2022 – Children in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided, as severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide – UNICEF warns during World Water Week. “History shows that when high levels of severe acute malnutrition in children combine…

Three consecutive seasons of failed rains, combined with ongoing conflict in many parts of the country, have taken a heavy toll on families in Somalia. By early 2022, most regions were experiencing severe drought conditions, with water shortages and loss of livestock displacing hundreds of thousands of people in search of food and safe water.  The…

KAMPALA/COPENHAGEN/NEW YORK, 10 February 2022 – UNICEF is deploying 457 high performance tents to support school reopening in flood-affected districts in Uganda, marking the first time the newly innovated tents are rolled out in an emergency. The unique 72 square metre tents – which can be easily transported and reused - include ventilation…

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 9 February 2022 – UNICEF and partners in Madagascar are urgently working to support an estimated 75,000 people – including around 37,500 children - in need of humanitarian assistance following the devastating impact of cyclone Batsirai which struck the south-east and centre of the island nation on Saturday. Latest reports…