The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) has warned that there is an increased probability of drought induced El Niño weather conditions expected in the Southern part of Africa; including Zimbabwe during the upcoming 2018/2019 agricultural season. Based on the El Niño forecast (Oct 2018-Jan 2019) and looking at similar trends in previous years, below-average rainfall and a late start of erratic rains will lead to crop failure.

The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) 2018 report estimates that 1.5 million people in rural and urban areas will require food assistance during the lean season and currently communities in Matabeleland North, South and Masvingo are already in urgent need of food assistance. As the lean season intensifies food prices are also on the increase, especially staple cereal food items.

The drought situation in Zimbabwe is compounded by economic challenges in Zimbabwe as some households in deficit producing areas are already experiencing Crisis (IPC Phase 3). Households are already reducing the number of meals and portions of food taken per day and consuming less preferred foods as the 2018-19 lean season gets under way.

The emergency response is currently being coordinated by Zimbabwe Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare with support from UN Agencies who are currently doing Cash transfers and in-kind food distribution (WFP and FAO). Various District Governments in Zimbabwe are coordinating meetings with all stakeholders.

The ACT Zimbabwe forum members Christian Aid and Danish Church Aid are planning to submit a concept note to provide food assistance and protect the lives of livestock using mobile money transfers to ensure that the drought affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to food security and livestock protection. Furthermore, ACT Zimbabwe Forum will engage in advocacy on the national and international level to ensure that the voices of those affected by the drought are amplified.

Alert_Zimbabwe 2018 drought

During the night of Thursday the 15^th  November 2018, the state of Tamil Nadu in India, was affected by the Gaja Cyclone. Severe cyclonic storm “Gaja” crossed between Pondicherry and Nagapattinam with wind gusts up to 120 kilometres speed per hour. Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Tiruvarur, Tanjavur, Pudukottai and Karaikal Districts are the most affected by this cyclone. As of 19^th November 2018, at least 45 people^[1] are feared dead and many people have also incurred injuries. Many trees have been uprooted. Significant number of Coconut and Banana Plantations have been destroyed. Thatched houses and tied houses have been damaged. Furthermore, as some of the affected areas are still not accessible, the clear number of houses damaged is yet to come. Many boats have been damaged in the coastal area of Vedaranyam of Nagapattinam Taluk. Around 80,000 families have been evacuated and are staying in 351 camps. In most of the places, they are still in the shelter. Moreover, around 20,000 electric poles have been damaged and this has caused electricity failure in many districts and fallen trees have blocked the roads, affecting the daily life of people in the area. Also, the essential services are affected due of the electricity cut and the poor road accessibility. It is also reported that some of the essential needs are not available in Temporary Shelters. The ACT India Forum members namely Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA),  United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI), and United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India LWSIT) are closely assessing the situation. Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Arcot Lutheran Church members of UELCI areas are spread across the affected areas and are involved in helping the government with evacuation work; around 3,000 families are accommodated in their churches and food has been provided. In some of the affected areas where CASA’s projects are operational, the forum is actively taking part in the supporting the government in evacuation and assessment. LWSIT is assessing the situation

The ACT India forum is planning on submitting Rapid Response Funding (RRF) proposal to provide lifesaving packages and humanitarian assistance to ensure that the cyclone affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to clothing, non-cooked food items and temporary shelter materials. ACT Alliance is ready to respond, providing clothing and non-cooked food items in the coming days. Furthermore, ACT Alliance will engage in advocacy on the national and international level to ensure that the voices of those affected by the cyclone are amplified.

Alerts: Cyclone Gaja in India

[1]  European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Since December 2016, the two English speaking regions of Cameroon (South West and North West Regions) have been experiencing an alarming and growing situation of unrest and uncertainty. Following decades of marginalization, a strike by lawyers and teachers in October 2016 has degenerated into a severe socio-economic, political, and humanitarian crisis, disrupting education and leading to a drastic downturn in the economy in Anglophone Cameroon, resulting in increased poverty and insecurity.

Due to the fighting between separatist groups and the Cameroonian army, the region is seeing unprecedented levels of mass displacement. According to UN OCHA (August 2018), there are at least 245,000 IDPs in the South West Region, equally as many in the North West Region, and at least 21’000 refugees in Nigeria, with many living with family in the francophone part of the country.

As a result of fighting, villages are burnt down and destroyed, education facilities and farms as well, putting the next harvest at stake. A famine of critical dimension is foreseeable, and many communities have lost all possibility of earning a living.

Mission 21, a new member of ACT Alliance, has set up an Ecumenical Relief and Rehabilitation Programme in Cameroon. Mission 21 is working together with its main partners, the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) as well as the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) on food and non-food items distribution and income generating projects for IDPs within the most affected areas of the two Anglophone regions. The program is coordinating closely with UN-OCHA and the ICRC and other stakeholders involved in the response.

Alert_Cameroon

In the morning of Monday the 15 October 2018, the region of Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was faced with a fast-developing humanitarian situation following the expulsion of more than 257,872 Congolese from Angola between 1st and 15th October 2018.

In a media briefing in Geneva, the UNHCR indicated that Congolese people are returning to a fragile Kasai Region that is still suffering from the impact of the 2016/17 conflict. According to local media reports, Congolese nationals were given up to 15th October 2018 to leave Angola. The returnees entered DRC through many entry points, the main one being Kamako in Kasai Province and Luambo in Kasai Central Province.

According to UNOCHA, the expulsion of Congolese from Angola follows the decision of the Angola government to ban artisanal mining which many Congolese were involved in as a source of livelihood while in Angola.

Unfortunately, people are returning with and to nothing, with many currently housed in churches, schools, makeshift shelters or with host communities in the region of Kasai. The people are returning to a region that has had waves of communal violence, a region that remains fragile where many are still facing many unmet needs.

The dire situation is further compounded for returnees who are already vulnerable; women and girls who are living in the open are at risk of gender-based violence. Pregnant and lactating women are at risk of lack of food, children (especially those under 5) are at risk of malnutrition.

The ACT DRC Forum will establish an open line of communication with crisis affected persons and communities to ensure a humanitarian response based on participation, inclusion and feedback. ACT DRC Forum members namely Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Christian AID (CA), BOAD, Salvation Army, Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne du Congo (EELC) and Church of Christ in Congo (CCC).will jointly apply for a Kasai Revised Appeal.

In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, ACT DRC forum has identified a gap in Nutrition, WASH, Safe Shelter, food, NFI’s, livelihoods, food security, Protection, Community Based Psycho social Support and education and has resolved that if funded, it will have the capacity to properly bridge the identified gap.

Alert_ Kasai DRC

By 31 October 2018, the Syria crisis remains the largest refugee crisis with 5,631,309 registered refugees by UNHCR in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.  While UN agencies reports on    Syria reflect that amidst an intensification of hostilities in multiple locations notably Idleb, Afrin, East Ghouta, southern Damascus, northern rural Homs and parts of north east Syria, the first six months of 2018 witnessed 1.2 million population displaced as civilians sought to escape to avoid the effects of conflict. (HNO 2018)  Some 6.1 million people remained long-term displaced across Syria.  As UNOCHA stated in the  midyear HRP report for 2018: “the overall scale, scope and complexity of humanitarian needs of people in Syria remain staggering in terms of magnitude and severity with an estimated 13 million people in need across the country, of whom 5.6million are in areas of acute need”. (UNHCR 2017, OCHA 2017) The pace of displacement remains relentless, with hundreds and thousands of families displaced internally for the second or third time. While according to the (regional) 3RP 2018 mid-year report, as the conflict in Syria entered its eighth year, neighbouring countries continue to contend with mounting demographic, economic, political, security and social pressures. Across the region, borders and admission practices remained closely managed, affecting the displacement ability of many individuals. Despite the exceptional generosity of host governments, the conditions of refugee families across the region remain extremely challenging and many refugee families have become increasingly vulnerable with each passing year of displacement: poverty rates exceed 60 per cent in some host countries and some 35 per cent of Syrian refugee children are out-of-school. (HNO 2018) Meanwhile, Palestinian refugees who are affected by the Syrian crisis continue to face particular vulnerabilities. It’s worth mentioning that the appeals and the response plans set by UN agencies and the host communities remain less than 50% funded. (3RP June 2018)   Therefore, SYR191 appeal remains a high priority for ACT members who are active in the region to be able to support refugees, internally displaced people as well as the host communities impacted by the crisis.

As part of the revision of the ACT Alliance Humanitarian Response Mechanism, a “Call for Action” is essentially the same as an “Alert”, but it applies to Complex emergencies only (category 3 in the ACT Revised Humanitarian Mechanism). For further information on the Revised Humanitarian Response Mechanism, please refer to its online toolkit: https://actlearn.org/course/view.php?id=236

Call-4-Action_Syria_Humanitarian Crisis

The current crisis in Iraq began in June 2014, when militants of the Islamic State Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized control of over one third of Iraq’s territory within a few weeks. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), the Kurdish Peshmerga and various armed groups engaged in the fight against ISIS, and finally recaptured Ramadi in February 2016, Hit in April 2016, Fallujah in June 2016, Mosul in July 2017, Tal Afar in August 2017 and Hawija in October 2017.

The Government of Iraq announced the defeat of ISIS and regained full territorial control on 9 December 2017. With the major military operations coming to end, many people are now able to return to their homes, and previously experienced large-scale displacements are likely to be over by 2018. However, smaller scale movements are still expected resulting from the tension between the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), triggered by the referendum on Kurdish independence of 25 September 2017.

According to upcoming Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) estimates, 8.7 million people will require some form of humanitarian assistance in 2018. The humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains one of the largest and most volatile in the world, with a complex reality and rapidly changing vulnerabilities and serious economic problems.

However, with the defeat of ISIS there is now a high chance of a protracted crisis with decreasing attention, while there is still great need for help in order to break the cycle that led to the current events. The Iraqi security situation became extremely acute with the conquest of part of the country by Islamic State (ISIS). This conflict altered the balance of power and split the country into those areas held by IS, the autonomous Kurdish areas and those controlled by the federal government.

According to the latest data, in Nineveh province, 598,578 individuals are currently displaced (as of 31 August 2018) as a result of the offensive to retake Mosul and the efforts to push ISIS fighters out of Hawijah. 1,548,108 individuals (as of 31 August 2018) have been able to return home as liberation in the province has progressed. ISIS seizure of territory in Nineveh Province, Iraq’s most ethnically and religiously diverse area, resulted in some of the worst atrocities attributed to the terrorist group, including significant inter-ethnic violence.

The ongoing ethnic and religious tension, violence and crimes made almost all non-Arab or non-Muslim families reluctant to return, and those who did return are at risk of facing segregation and isolation.  The price paid by the people of Mosul is incredibly high with loss of lives, infrastructure, assets, physical and psychological abuse and loss of livelihood. People lost their homes and stayed in temporary camps for years. In addition, affected people also lost their means of earning and livelihood. Prior to the conflict, the economic status of the people were low which got aggravated during the conflict. As reported by many agencies including UN that livelihood opportunities remain very limited with concern over inter-ethnic conflicts and protection issues.

As part of the revision of the ACT Alliance Humanitarian Response Mechanism, a “Call for Action” is essentially the same as an “Alert”, but it applies to Complex emergencies only (category 3 in the ACT Revised Humanitarian Mechanism). For further information on the Revised Humanitarian Response Mechanism, please refer to its online toolkit: https://actlearn.org/course/view.php?id=236

Call-4-Action_Iraq_Humanitarian Crisis

On the morning of Monday  10 September 2018, the district of Dsegh  (Lori) and Arapi, Voskehask and Harij (Shirak)  in mountainous regions in Armenia,  sudden heavy rainfalls and hailstorms swept away 130ha of crop in Dsegh,  185,8 ha – Arapi, 28,2ha- Voskehask, and 64,29ha – Harij villages. The dwellers lost 70 – 80% of their crop.  Local authorities have declared these regions in state of emergency due to the damages caused by the natural hazard and asked national and international organizations for support to the affected population. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development asked the Armenia Round Table Foundation for humanitarian assistance to help the affected communities. According to the official information from the Ministry the damage consists of 300 affected communities in 9 regions out of 10. More than 7000 ha of wheat, barley and grain, fruit, vegetables/orchards, and vineyards were damaged of which the damage in agriculture is valued at 8,7 billion AMD that is about 18,125,000 USD. Besides in 135 communities houses and structures are damaged. The hailstones and storm were so heavy that they broke the roofs and windows, the water down poured inside the houses.

Alerts_Hailstorms in Armenia

In the afternoon of Thursday the 11 October 2018, the mountainous eastern district of Bududa in Uganda was hit by a series of landslides which also caused massive flooding following torrential heavy rains. As a result, 5 villages have been washed away in the district of Bududa and confirmed reports indicate that 40 bodies have been found. Rescue teams have been deployed to search for missing persons. The landslide in Bududa triggered boulders (huge rocks) to fall into River Suume which rolled to Bukalasi health Centre; in the process washing away buildings/structures; injuring many people and causing much damage. In addition, the boulders blocked the river channel; causing the river to burst its banks and cause flooding to occur in the nearby trading centre. Bududa district which lies on the foothills of Mount Elgon, at the Uganda and Kenya border is a high risk area for landslides.

The landslides have put Bududa district in a state of crisis. The persons affected by the landslide find themselves in a desperate situation, with many unmet vital humanitarian needs such as access to food, shelter, need for health care as an effect of water borne diseases, and other basic essentials.

The emergency response in Uganda is currently being coordinated by Office of the Prime Minister. The government of Uganda immediately deployed a rescue and recovery team in the area and are currently working with the District Disaster Management Committee to carry out loss and damage assessments. The Government of Uganda is making a contribution of Uganda Shillings 500,000 to the families of the deceased.

ACT Alliance member of Uganda forum, Church of Uganda has been working in Uganda since 1979 and is now helping/planning to help people affected by the landslide under its department (household and community transformation directorate). Church of Uganda has been a member of ACT Uganda Forum since ACT Uganda Forum was formed in 2010 and is submitting a funding proposal to support the affected in the areas of food, non-food and psycho-social support.

Alerts_Uganda_Landslide