Eastern and Southern Africa Region Appeal
Humanitarian Action for Children
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children appeal helps support the agency’s work as it provides conflict- and disaster-affected children with access to water, sanitation, nutrition, education, health and protection services. Return to main appeal page.
Appeal highlights
- In 2024, 12 countries will be covered under the Eastern and Southern Africa regional appeal. 1 Approximately 14.5 million people, including 6.6 million children, will require humanitarian assistance due to El Niño-induced climatic shocks, public health emergencies, economic deterioration, civil/political unrest and population displacements.
- In the 12 countries, UNICEF will continue to work with partners, including Governments, to deliver life-saving interventions to reach children and women. The organization will further mainstream accountability to affected populations and disability inclusion; gender programming, the response to gender-based violence, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and humanitarian cash interventions will all continue in 2024.
- Partnerships with women-led, youth-led and community-based organizations will continue to be prioritized to strengthen and sustain local capacities for emergency preparedness and response. UNICEF will continue to build climate adaptation and shock-responsive strategies to improve child-centred resilience/systems strengthening.
- UNICEF is appealing for $55 million to address humanitarian needs in the 12 countries covered in this regional appeal.
Key statistics
7.6 million children and women accessing primary healthcare
8.4 million people in need of nutrition assistance
4.5 million children in need of protection services
5.5 million children in need of access to school
9.3 million people lack access to safe water
Funding requirements for 2024
Regional needs and strategy
Humanitarian needs
Approximately 14.5 million people, including 6.6 million children, will require humanitarian assistance in the 12 countries covered in this appeal in 2024. El Niño climate-related shocks, malnutrition, public health emergencies (including outbreaks of cholera, measles, mumps, dengue, malaria and other diseases), civil/political unrest, conflict, economic deterioration and displacement are the major drivers of humanitarian need. The 12 countries covered by the appeal are home to about 768,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and people of concern. Disruptions of routine services due to global economic downturns and conflicts continue to expose children to the risks of disease and death.
Eight million people need urgent essential health services and 9.3 million people need clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support in the 12 countries. Poverty and food insecurity have left 8.4 million people in need of nutrition support and other essential services (e.g., health, WASH, education, protection and other services). Disrupted learning driven by emergencies continues to affect children's education in a context where more than 5.5 million children are out of school in the countries covered by the appeal.
The risks of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, exploitation and abuse and intimate partner violence are becoming even more acute in the region. This is due to drought, widespread food insecurity, displacement, conflict and public health emergencies. During emergencies, female-headed households, older women, adolescent girls and those with disabilities face heightened vulnerabilities to sexual violence, exploitation and abuse, and greater risk of child marriage and female genital mutilation. Extreme poverty, exacerbated by emergencies, is also driving population displacements. Humanitarian needs are further compounded by the negative impact of climate change in the region, manifested in increased frequency of climate hazards, which are also of greater severity and scale.
UNICEF’s strategy
In line with government efforts and UNICEF's Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office will provide multisectoral technical, operational and advocacy support to the 12 country offices covered by this appeal. This support, leveraging ongoing regular programming, will strengthen an integrated, multisectoral response to deliver life-saving services for children and women affected by climatic shocks and disease outbreaks, including people living in displacement and refugee camps. UNICEF will promote sustainable social and behavioural change to prepare for and respond to crises, and strengthen the humanitarian development and peacebuilding nexus, including through social cohesion programming in fragile contexts.
UNICEF will support integrated approaches to preventing and treating wasting by offering a continuum of care for children and mothers. UNICEF will emphasize prevention, early detection and treatment (including for HIV) through health facilities and community-based platforms. WASH interventions will address waterborne diseases and contribute to preventing undernutrition, and they will include providing basic services for people affected by emergencies. UNICEF's education interventions will focus on preparedness and response to ensure continuity of access to safe, inclusive and quality learning during and after emergencies. UNICEF will continue to work with women, youth leaders and community-based organizations to address gender-based violence and promote protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF will also promote disability inclusion and accountability to affected communities. Strengthening prevention and response to mental health and psychosocial needs in the region will be a priority. UNICEF's response is informed by gender analysis and accounts for the differentiated needs and capacities of women and adolescent girls. UNICEF will also strengthen shock-responsive social protection systems in support of Governments in the 12 countries.
UNICEF will continue supporting risk analysis and preparedness for predictable risks – including health emergencies, climatic shocks and economic deterioration. The Regional Office will support country offices to ensure effective and timely responses, including through missions/surge deployments.
Find out more about UNICEF's work
Highlights
Humanitarian Action is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate to realize the rights of every child. This edition of Humanitarian Action for Children – UNICEF’s annual humanitarian fundraising appeal – describes the ongoing crises affecting children in Eastern and Southern Africa; the strategies that we are using to respond to these situations; and the donor support that is essential in this response.