Highlights
Although Mali has been declared Ebola free on January 18th, 2015, UNICEF has continued advocating on the importance of prevention efforts, especially in the neighboring districts with Guinea where new cases have been recently confirmed. Social mobilization, together with WASH interventions and reinforcement of the health systems will be of paramount importance also to counter the spreading of other epidemics in the future.
The Education Cluster, co-led by UNICEF, organized a strategic workshop to restore education in the Kidal region, where children have been out of school for more than three years, gathering more than 70 actors in Gao to develop community-led intervention strategies and activities.
Social workers of Child Protection Sub Cluster and the COU (Centre Operationnel d`Urgence) staff reached 5,226 children with awareness messages related to Ebola and availability of psychosocial support. UNICEF and partners reached 48,241 of which 50% youth and children through Mine Risk Education activities in Gao and Timbuktu. 290 survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) were provided psychosocial support in Gao, Mopti and Bamako.
Two regional nutrition surveys conducted with SMART methodology in Kidal and Gao have shown that the nutrition situation in these two regions has not significantly changed since 2011. The prevalence of GAM and SAM in Gao were respectively 11.3% (C.I 9,7 – 13,2) and 2,3% (1,6-3,1). In the Region of Kidal, the GAM and SAM prevalence were respectively 5,7% (C.I 4,1 – 7,9%) and 1,0 (C.I. 0,5-1,9%), showing a critical nutritional situation.
In February 2015, 5,187,646 children 6-59 months received Vitamin A supplementation.
UNICEF took the lead of the polio vaccination in the Northern Region, where 513,388 children under 5 were administered the oral vaccine.
