Following Reports Of Mass Starvation In The Camp,UNICEF react to report of humanitarian situation of IDPs in Bama, Borno

 

Following reports of mass starvation at IDP camps in Bama, UNICEF in a report stated its ongoing commitment while working with partners in Bama, Borno State, since March 2016, providing health, nutrition and water and sanitation support in a camp housing 25,000 people displaced by the conflict, including 15,000 children.

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

UNICEF has provided health and nutrition support for approximately 19,000 people. Since May,

UNICEF and the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency have had a permanent primary health care presence in Bama. We are seeing an average of 140 outpatients a day, providing treatment primarily for malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhoea; screening children for malnutrition and treating severely malnourished children; and providing Vitamin A, micronutrient supplements and deworming tablets.
Most recent data available from the team on the ground show that from 3 April to 31 May 2016, more than 320 children were admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition – an average of 6 new cases per day.

UNICEF has also repaired and upgraded five boreholes in Bama, providing 10-12 litres of water per day per person in the camp. Construction work is due to begin on 150 latrines in the next few days.

UNICEF has also identified 3,000 children who have become separated from their families and have started to register children with the aim of trying to trace their families.