HEADLINES
· $20,222,932 is required to respond to the humanitarian needs of children in Mauritania in 2013, with a current funding gap of $6,728,052 (33% of total requirements) to save the lives of children affected by the Malian refugee crisis and by malnutrition.
· Mauritania is the largest recipient of refugees fleeing the conflict in Mali. 66,198 refugees* are living in the Mbéra camp, a remote desert location on the border with Mali with significant security challenges. 57% of the refugees are children and many have been in the camp for almost two years, resulting in overlapping emergency and medium term needs.
· UNICEF, in coordination with UNHCR and partners, are providing formal and non-formal education in the camp for 5,660 children (50% girls) in six primary schools, one secondary school and 10 literacy numeracy centres and psychosocial stimulation for around 5,000 children at six child friendly spaces. In 2013, 3,134 children have been treated for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) by UNICEF and other nutrition actors. UNICEF is also continuing to support water treatment and distribution, showers and latrines and hygiene promotion sessions.
· Communities hosting the refugees are very poor and suffer high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. UNICEF is helping to reinforce basic services, including malnutrition treatment, education, health and WASH.
· At the end of October, 45% of the 2013 caseload of SAM (23,901 children under five) has been reached and treated. UNICEF is supporting active screening and referral of malnutrition cases as well as mobiles clinics in order to increase program coverage and collect missing data.
· Preventative blanket feeding, cash transfers and programmes to build longer term resilience are being implemented alongside life-saving nutrition interventions providing therapeutic food and medicines. A multi-sectorial package of services is being scaled up from 291 to all 488 nutrition centres. This includes health and ‘WASH in Nut’ interventions to reinforce nutrition outcomes.
· The estimated caseload for 2014 is 125,263 children with GAM, including 30,741 children with SAM. This is an increase of more than 25% from 2013.
· A joint visit by the Regional Directors of UNICEF, WFP and UNHCR and the Emergency Coordinator for the Sahel 17-21 November reviewed the needs and programme implementation for the nutrition and refugee crises in Mauritania.