According to OCHA, in 2,021, 126,675 people crossed the border between Colombia and Panama through the Darien Gap. Notwithstanding high under-reporting, local authorities and national and international NGOs located in the area have identified that many people from several countries chose the Darien Gap as a viable migration route, despite the great challenges imposed by the geography of the place and the conflict dynamics present in the territory: In the first three months of 2022, 13,425 people crossed through the Gap—at a rate of more than double when compared with the 5,622 people who crossed in the same period in 2,021.

As per the Colombian Ombudsman in his last field visit to Necoclí (Antioquia) in June 2022, the dire humanitarian situation is driven by mixed migratory flows, that sum up more than 19,000 refugees and migrants (about 25% of them are children) coming from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, and some African countries, who are stranded in the municipality of Necocli seeking to reach Central America and the US.

Some other trends identified by the Ombudsman and UN agencies such as UNICEF are as follows: i) migrant profile has changed as most of the migrant population stagnated come from Venezuela, extremely impoverished as many of them come from countries as far as Chile on foot, by bus and lack the resources to sustain themselves and pay the high cost of crossing the border; ii) the increase of migrant families with children, in comparison to 2,021 when the predominant demographic group migrating were young male individuals and, iii) the most concerning trend, the increase of non-accompanied children. According to UNICEF, the number of non-accompanied children has increased twofold in 2,022 with 169 children aged 0 to 17 years and 41 children aged 13 to 17 years, who are more vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation and, use and forced recruitment by illegal groups. Up to date, 5,000 children have crossed the border since January 2,022.

The ACT forum Colombia through one of its members, the Fundación de Diaconia PAZOS, is planning on submitting an Appeal proposal to provide humanitarian relief through the adaptation of a temporary shelter that meets the habitability conditions. It is also expected to provide humanitarian assistance in food security (delivery of CVA), WASH (delivery of hygiene kits), and Protection (including SGBV and Child Protection, through psychosocial support and the strengthening of the local referral mechanism). 

ACT Alert Colombia 2022

In the afternoon of Saturday the 4 December 2021, the sub-districts of Pronojiwo and Candipuro in the district of Lumajang in East Java, Indonesia, was hit by volcanic eruption of Mount Semeru. As of 9th December, the government reported 43 people killed, 218 injured, and 5,205 people directly affected, with some 3,697 people who are displaced. UN OCHA recorded more than 300 government and non-government institutions that have provided relief assistance to the affected people . ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) reported 2,970 houses were damaged and thirteen public facilities .

ACT Indonesia Forum members, PELKESI and YEU, will access ACT’s Rapid Response Fund to respond to the disaster.

ALERT Indonesia Volcanic Eruption

On the early morning of Saturday, the 14th of August 2021 at 8:30am, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Southern peninsula of Haiti with Petit Trou de Nippes as the epicenter of the earthquake. The vibration was felt all over the country and as far as Jamaica.  Aftershocks are still happening with more than three registering more than 6.2 magnitude in the Richter scale. About 1,297 deaths were initially reported and more than 5,000 people injured according to the civil protection direction (DPC). About 7,369 houses have been destroyed and 4,852 houses damaged in the three departments of the Sud, Grand Anse and Nippes. Several public buildings such as schools, churches, hotels, and private enterprises have also collapsed. More than 14,000 families have been affected in the three departments.). Some affected areas have lost access to electricity, communication, water, transportation access (by air and land), and in some cases, food sources. The Haitian government has started to deploy rescue and assistance to the affected areas.

Tropical Storm Grace is also predicted to hit the country in the morning of the 17th of August 2021 making the situation worse. The storm may have devastating impact on the people already affected by the earthquake. While last month, Haiti’s president was assassinated, causing turmoil in the country.

ACT Alliance is currently monitoring the situation and is supporting local partners to carry out rapid needs assessments in affected areas. Emergency teams are preparing to be deployed. The forum plans to raise an appeal pending their needs assessment analysis.

Alert Haiti Earthquake

On Thursday the 15 July 2021, Indonesia entered the worst-case scenario in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.  An additional 56,757 confirmed positive cases were reported. The capacity of government health facilities and isolation shelters government is incapable of coping with the increasing wave of positive cases. Hospitals located on the island of Java are over capacity, and the number of health workers exposed and dying continues to grow.

The ACT Indonesia forum is planning on submitting a funding proposal to ensure that the epidemic affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to access to health services for Covid-19 patients, access to vaccinations and health promotion education for the communities, strengthening of health facilities, and support for health workers.

Alert-Covid-19 Emergency in Indonesia

On the morning of Monday 01 February 2021, the government of Myanmar was thrown into a political crisis. The ensuing waves of mass protest grew increasingly violent. The political crisis resulted in a collapse of public services and widespread armed conflict, impacting the lives of people living in urban centres as well as remote rural villages.

Communities where many ACT Alliance partners are working face massive impacts as a result of the combined emergencies of armed conflict and COVID-19. Market systems and food production systems are disrupted due movement restrictions imposed to prevent spread of COVID-19 and related to the conflict itself. In some parts of the country, farmers are not planting rice this monsoon season (May – October) because they fear that this substantial investment will just result in their crops being confiscated by the combatants. The banking sector has been severely disrupted and people are very cash poor. Food prices have started to skyrocket.

As of 01 June 2021, the situation has further deteriorated, and the needs have increased. Priority needs include food, shelter, and access to water and latrines. The lack of WASH facilities may lead to deadly diarrheal outbreaks and entire communities are vulnerable to COVID-19 because large numbers of displaced households are now sleeping together in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces such as churches and monasteries. Furthermore, cases of malaria have been reported among the displaced population sheltering in the jungle following the early arrival of the monsoons. Access to IDPs remains restricted due to ongoing fighting, remote muddy terrain, road blockages, and increasing landmine risks. Local partners and experts warn of a looming food security crisis if internally displaced persons (IDPs) are not able to return to their homes to tend to their crops and livestock. The full onset of the monsoon season in June will pose additional logistical challenges for humanitarian access. As the needs grow, local responders are increasingly stretched and require additional financial support to reach the most vulnerable among displaced communities.

Alert Myanmar Complex Crisis

As of 17 May 2021, a total of 198 Palestinian people were killed in Gaza, including 58 children and 35 women, and 1,300 people injured, including 313 children and 206 women according to the Palestinian Ministry of health. On the Israeli side, 10 people in Israel, including one soldier, have been killed and hundreds have been injured as a result of the escalating conflict between Israel and the Hamas.

More than 47 education facilities, 132 buildings (commercial and residential), 316 housing units have been severely damaged, and rendered uninhabitable, about 206 housing units have suffered major damage, and 6,268 housing units have sustained minor damages leaving over 2,500 people homeless and more than 42,000 IDPs.

This conflict came amidst and on top of the pandemic crisis and it’s economic predicament that will surly exacerbates the already fragile health and economic situation in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

The ACT Palestine Forum is planning on submitting an appeal to ensure that the affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to Shelter/ NFI’s, food assistance, Health, Protection/MHPSS, CASH and WASH including the response to COVID-19.

Alert- Conflict in Palestine

Second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal started from mid-April 2021 and the daily infection rate has intensely increased to almost 10,000 person per day from 300+ person per day within a month. There is no signal of slowing down of infection rate despite localized (district based) lockdowns called by the Government on 29th April 2021. Currently 72 districts (out of 77 districts) are under full lockdown situation. Nepal’s Prime Minister has already called for international assistance to help them with this crisis.

There is high influx of COVID-19 patients in national and provincial capitals and district headquarters, where large numbers of active cases are isolated in their own houses. The hospitals in district/provincial centres are already running out of oxygen, medicines, and medical supplies, and it is expected to further worsen and go out of control if the condition of in-house isolated case deteriorates and need of medical assistance increases. Nepal has limited production of medicines and medical supplies and largely depends on Indian production, and the supply from India market is totally disturbed as India is also affected by COVID-19.

ACT Nepal forum plans to raise an appeal and aims to start it response in the coming weeks with a plan to reach at least 200,000 households in provinces 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The initial intervention will focus on supporting the health centres on emergency health support materials and equipment, communicating to the communities on COVID-19 prevention and control, increase access to health and hygiene facilities including COVID vaccine preparedness initiatives. Community based psychosocial service (CBPSS) will be mainstreamed in its intervention. ACT response will also support government and community run heath institutions to render quality and efficient health services to the infected cases. Cash based intervention (CBI) will be undertaken where feasible and applicable.

Alert Nepal Covid Crisis