「非洲之角」粮食危机一周年饥荒结束，无数生命得救，但数百万名妇女及儿童的情况仍然严峻 | 最新消息 | 讯息中心

「非洲之角」粮食危机一周年饥荒结束，无数生命得救，但数百万名妇女及儿童的情况仍然严峻

2012-07-20

奈洛比／香港，2012年7月20日──一年前的今天，「非洲之角」粮食危机告急，联合国宣告南索马里两个地区进入饥荒状态。犹幸有各国倾力支持，加上及时降雨纾解旱情，无数生命终得救治，扭转局势。然而，「非洲之角」粮食危机至今远未解除，在索马里、埃塞俄比亚及肯尼亚，仍有800万人等待人道援助。当地灾民，特別是儿童，目前依然正受着贫穷、粮食不足、营养不良和疾病的威胁。

On 27 July, people collect water during a distribution in a camp for people displaced by the drought, in Mogadishu, the capital. The water is being distributed by troops from AMISOM (the African Union Mission in Somalia) from their base supplies. AMISOM was established by the United Nations to support peace, stability and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid in the country. UNICEF works on all sides of the long-running conflict. By 29 July 2011, the crisis in the Horn of Africa affecting primarily Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti continues, with a worsening drought, rising food prices and an ongoing conflict in Somalia. More than 12 million people are threatened by the regions worst drought in 60 years. Some 500,000 severely malnourished children in drought-affected areas are at imminent risk of dying, while a further 1.6 million moderately malnourished children and the wider-affected population are at high risk of disease. Somalia faces one of the worlds most severe food security crises; and as many as 100,000 displaced people have sought security and assistance in Mogadishu, the still-embattled capital, in the last two months, and tens of thousands are fleeing into Kenya and Ethiopia. Famine has been declared in the Lower Shabelle and Bakool areas, and it is believed all of Southern Somalia could fall into a state of famine without immediate intervention. Across Southern Somalia, 1.25 million children are in urgent need of life-saving assistance, and 640,000 are acutely malnourished. UNICEF has delivered supplementary feeding supplies for 65,000 children and therapeutic food for 16,000 severely malnourished children in Southern Somalia, and is working with UN, NGO and community partners to expand blanket supplementary feeding programmes where needed. UNICEF is also supporting a range of other interventions, including an immunization campaign targeting 40,000 children in Mogadishu. A joint United Nations appeal for humanitarian assistance for the region requires US$2.5 billion, less than half of which has been committed.

On 9 August, a child rests on a cot at a nutrition stabilization centre at the District Hospital in the town of Lodwar, capital of Turkana District, in Rift Valley Province. The global acute malnutrition rate in Turkana District is at 37.4 per cent, its highest ever. In this predominantly pastoralist region, many families are selling their livestock to buy increasingly expensive food. On 26 August 2011, the crisis in the Horn of Africa affecting primarily Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti continues, with a worsening drought, rising food prices and ongoing conflict in Somalia. Some 12.4 million people are threatened by the regions worst drought in 60 years. Hundreds of thousands of children are at imminent risk of dying, and over a million more are threatened by malnutrition and disease. In Kenya, 1.7 million children have been affected by the drought, including 220,000 Somali refugee children in the north-eastern town of Dadaab. UNICEF, together with the Government, United Nations, NGO and community partners, is supporting a range of interventions and essential services, especially for the displaced and for refugees, including feeding programmes, immunization campaigns, health outreach, and access to safe water and to improve sanitation. A joint United Nations appeal for humanitarian assistance for the region requires US $2.4 billion, of which 58 per cent has been received to date. A majority of UNICEFs portion of the appeal has been funded.

「虽然我们的救援行动帮助了数百万名儿童及他们的家庭，但许多灾民仍处于弱势，亟待救援。」联合国儿童基金会（UNICEF）东南非地区主任Elhadj As Sy表示：「直到现在，这场危机仍然是一场儿童的危机。在有需要的地方，我们当然要继续提供紧急援助，但同时我们亦必须与社区更紧密地合作，提升他们的抗灾能力。」

On 3 August, health worker unpacks ready-to-eat therapeutic food at a health centre in Odoleka Village, Oromia Region. The food was supplied by UNICEF to treat malnourished children in the village. In late August 2011, the crisis in the Horn of Africa affecting primarily Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti continued, with a worsening drought, rising food prices and ongoing conflict in Somalia. The regions worst drought in 60 years has left 12.4 million people in need of assistance, including 4.8 million in Ethiopia. The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 150,000 children under age five will require treatment for severe acute malnutrition, a deadly condition, by the years end. In addition, over 76,000 refugees from Somalia which faces one of the worlds severest food security crises have entered Ethiopia, with a further 200 to 300 arriving every week. Many refugees are dangerously malnourished, and death rates among refugee children have reached alarming levels, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Meanwhile, emergency food reserves are dwindling, and outeaks of measles have been reported in refugee camps. UNICEF, together with the Government, United Nations, NGO and community partners, is supporting a range of interventions and essential services, especially for the displaced and for refugees, including feeding programmes, immunization campaigns, health outreach, and access to safe water and to improved sanitation. A joint United Nations appeal for humanitarian assistance for the region requires US $2.4 billion, of which 58 per cent has been received to date. A majority of UNICEFs portion of the appeal has been funded.

在各方捐助者的慷慨解囊下，2011年内合共捐出多达港币31亿元（3.96亿美元），使UNICEF得以应对当时索马里、肯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚及吉布提超过1,300万人的庞大人道需求，同时扩大区内的紧急救援和发展工作规模。在2011年7月至12月期间，约有63,000公吨人道救援物资获送至灾区，其中半数为营养补充及治疗食品。迄今，灾区近100万名营养不良儿童经已获得治疗。

为进一步加强灾区的抗逆能力，UNICEF已将减灾工作纳入紧急救援及发展项目之中，同步加强社区的健康、营养、环境衞生和教育等基本服务。另外，UNICEF正和合作伙伴一同推行补助金计划，强化社会保障，帮助弱势家庭。

目前索马里仍是灾情最严重的国家，国内1/3人口（250万人）仍正等待紧急援助。在索马里南部的部份地区，每5名儿童中，便有1名患有急性营养不良，性命危在旦夕。而在肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚，则分別有220万和320万人需要人道主义援助。营养不良至今依然是灾区一个严重的问题，3个国家合共仍有近90万名儿童患有营养不良。

这场危机令成千上万的灾民被迫离开家园。目前，超过626,000名索马里难民正暂住在肯尼亚及埃塞俄比亚；在索马里国内，亦有逾100万人流离失所，当中近6成是儿童。冲突、局势不稳、雨量稀少，加上政府不断限制援助机构入境，令受灾的儿童及其家庭仍然身处在危机与威胁之中，更有迹象显示南索马里的情况将有可能进一步恶化，例如：在南索马里的部分地区，5岁以下儿童患上急性营养不良的情况比警戒水平高近1倍。

儘管短期的紧急援助，在解决衞生、营养、食水和环境衞生问题上起到关键作用，却无法防治未来危机。据此，UNICEF这些年来，参考了社区现存的危机应对策略，致力为灾区建立长期灾难应对措施，提升灾区的抗逆能力，帮助最弱势的群体解决生活所需。

On 5 August, Godana Wario fills her jerrycan with water from a collection tank in the ground, in Melbana Village, Mio District, in the drought-affected Borena Zone. The collection tank has just been filled by a tanker truck delivering emergency water supplies. Water delivery is supported by the Borena Zone Emergency Water Taskforce, of which UNICEF is a member. In late August 2011, the crisis in the Horn of Africa affecting primarily Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti continued, with a worsening drought, rising food prices and ongoing conflict in Somalia. The regions worst drought in 60 years has left 12.4 million people in need of assistance, including 4.8 million in Ethiopia. The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 150,000 children under age five will require treatment for severe acute malnutrition, a deadly condition, by the years end. In addition, over 76,000 refugees from Somalia which faces one of the worlds severest food security crises have entered Ethiopia, with a further 200 to 300 arriving every week. Many refugees are dangerously malnourished, and death rates among refugee children have reached alarming levels, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Meanwhile, emergency food reserves are dwindling, and outeaks of measles have been reported in refugee camps. UNICEF, together with the Government, United Nations, NGO and community partners, is supporting a range of interventions and essential services, especially for the displaced and for refugees, including feeding programmes, immunization campaigns, health outreach, and access to safe water and to improved sanitation. A joint United Nations appeal for humanitarian assistance for the region requires US $2.4 billion, of which 58 per cent has been received to date. A majority of UNICEFs portion of the appeal has been funded.

「不少社区已无法透过自己建立的传统危机应对策略面对灾难。」地区主任Sy先生表示：「我们必须寻求新途径支援社区，提升它们的抗灾和復原能力，打破灾难的恶性循环，防止危机再现。」他续指：「我们需捍卫得来不易的救援成果，並在儿童身上投放资源，防止类似危机再有发生。」

UNICEF已将2011年就「非洲之角」粮食危机筹得的所有善款，应用于赈灾工作上。要救援工作得以延续，我们必需在索马里、肯尼亚和埃塞俄比亚继续投放资源，加强区内的抗逆能力。UNICEF在2012年曾就此作出约港币21.3亿元（2.73亿美元）的善款唿吁，然而，截至2012年7月12日，筹得善款仅足够33%的经费所需。

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