Children and their families living in Ethiopia's lowland regions of Afar, Oromia, The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ and Somali regions struggle to survive from a severe drought which is drying up water wells, killing livestock and crops and pushing hundreds of thousands of children and their families to the brink. Due to three consecutive failed rainy seasons, the country requires urgent humanitarian assistance.

Speaking today at a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, UNICEF's Representative in Ethiopia, Gianfranco Rotigliano, said that “it is a drought that is affecting almost seven million people on their livelihood, on food security”. He added that “it is something which is already pretty advanced and bad, but that could worsen dramatically if the next rainy season which is due in April, after mid-April, would not come the way it should come.”

Most severely impacted regions are the lowland areas of southern and eastern Oromia and Somalis regions where around 225,000 malnourished children and over 100,000 pregannt and breastfeeding women need urgent nutrition support.

“There is a need to improve the status of the health centers, the nutritional centers where the severely acute, malnourished children can be admitted and treated correctly. And all of that is something that should be done within the next 2, 3 weeks”, said Mr. Rotigliano.

UNICEF is appealing for US$ 31 million to provide lifesaving support to more than 2 million in Afar, Somali, SNNPR and Oromia regions.

There is a significant lack of clean water and the food security is deteriorating rapidly leading to an increase in malnutrition cases.

UNICEF’s Ethiopia representative said that “the rate of acute malnutrition is already at 20%, which is well above the rate that we have in global emergencies, which is estimated to 15%.”

UNICEF, in close coordination with the local authorities, is providing life-saving assistance, including the rehabilitation of boreholes and water schemes, emergency water trucking, treatment of severely malnourished children.

“We have animals dying at an impressive rate which is increasing every month”, reported Mr. Rotigliano. “A death of an animal means lack of food for children, for families, lack of money, of course, so to buy food, lack of milk. And that is definitely something which is already happening”.

UNICEF is witnessing also major displacement out of affected areas; children are also missing out an education due to the drought.

According to UNICEF’s Ethiopia representative, “the population is moving already from the lowlands to the highlands, displacing themselves, leaving behind the small children that could not travel with relatives and coming up with children that are 11 or 12 and above that dropped out of school. So, we estimate already more than 155,000 children out of school.”

It is also projected that in 2022, an estimated 850,000 children will be severely malnourished across the four regions due to multiple causes namely conflict, drought, and economic downturn.

“We are having hundreds of thousands of children severely malnourished, so with acute severe malnutrition these are already numbers that are extremely worrisome, and we expect, of course, the mortality rate to increase”, said UNICEF’s Ethiopia representative.

-ends-

1. Exterior wide shot, United Nations Palace of Nations, Geneva, UN flags flying.
2. Wide shot and pan, press room UN Geneva.
3. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “It is a drought that is affecting almost seven million people on their livelihood, on food security. And it is something which is already pretty advanced and bad, but that could worsen dramatically if the next rainy season which is due in April, after mid-April, would not come the way it should come.”
4. Medium shot, TV screen with speakers next to podium.
5. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “There is a need to improve the status of the health centers, the nutritional centers where the severely acute, malnourished children can be admitted and treated correctly. And all of that is something that should be done within the next 2, 3 weeks.”
6. Medium shot, participants listening with TV screen to rear.
7. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “The rate of acute malnutrition is already at 20%, which is well above the rate that we have in global emergencies, which is estimated to 15%.”
8. Medium shot, masked participants listening.
9. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “We have animals dying at an impressive rate which is increasing every month. And a death of an animal means lack of food for children, for families, lack of money, of course, so to buy food, lack of milk. And that is definitely something which is already happening.”
10. Medium shot, back of a journalist with cameraman standing behind the camera.
11. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “The population is moving already from the lowlands to the highlands, displacing themselves, leaving behind the small children that could not travel with relatives and coming up with children that are 11 or 12 and above that dropped off school. So, we estimate already more than 155,000 children out of school.”
12. Medium shot, masked participants listening.
13. SOUNDBITE (English): Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia: “We are having hundreds of thousands of children severely malnourished, so with acute severe malnutrition these are already numbers that are extremely worrisome, and we expect, of course, the mortality rate to increase.”
14. Medium shot, participants listening and taking notes.