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	Poverty and inequality shape children's lives by Africa Child Forum, ODI, OPHI, agencies   June 2019   Nearly half of all child deaths in Africa stem from hunger, study by the African Child Policy Forum reveals.   One in three African children are stunted and hunger accounts for almost half of all child deaths across the continent, an Addis Ababa-based thinktank has warned.   In an urgent call for action, a study by the African Child Policy Forum said that nearly 60 million children in Africa do not have enough food despite the continent's economic growth in recent years.   A child dies every three seconds globally due to food deprivation - 10,000 children every day - but although figures show an improvement in child hunger at a global level, it is getting worse in some parts of Africa, where the problem is largely a question of political will.   Nine out of 10 African children do not meet the criteria for minimum acceptable diet outlined by the World Health Organization, and two out of five don't eat meals regularly.   Liberia, Congo and Chad are at the bottom of the chart when it comes to children aged six to 23 months receiving sufficient and diverse food with a healthy frequency. They are followed by Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   'Child hunger is fundamentally a political problem', said Assefa Bequele, ACPF's executive director. 'It is the offspring of the unholy alliance of political indifference, unaccountable governance, and economic mismanagement. Persistent and naked though the reality is, it remains a silent tragedy, one that remains largely unacknowledged and tolerated, perhaps because it is a poor man's problem'.   Bequele added: 'It is completely unacceptable that children are still going hungry in Africa in the 21st century. The statistics are truly alarming. Child hunger is driven by extreme poverty, uneven and unequal economic growth, gender inequality and a broken food system. Although Africa now produces more food than ever, it hasn't resulted in better diets'.   Hunger impairs growth and cognitive development of children, but also hits the economic performance of the country they come from. Child hunger can cost African countries almost 17% of their GDP, according to the report. The continent's present GDP is estimated to have been reduced by 10% because of stunting alone.   Annually, child hunger costs Ethiopia 16.5% of its GDP. The rate for Rwanda is 11.5%. The report says, for every dollar invested in reducing stunting, there is a return of about $22 in Chad, $21 in Senegal, and $17 in Niger and Uganda, and if the investment is made early in the child's life, the return rates can be even higher: up to $85 in Nigeria, $80 in Sudan and $60 in Kenya.   Africa could have one billion undernourished, malnourished and hungry children and young people by 2050 if current levels continue unabated. More than half of African countries are currently off course to meet targets required in the African regional nutrition strategy (2015-2025). Just nine countries will meet the target of reducing stunting by 40% by 2025.   Mauritius and South Africa are among the states with fewer children suffering from hunger, while Central African Republic and Chad are the worst child-friendly nations, according to ACPF. Child hunger has been in sharp contrast with economic growth seen in countries such as Kenya, which has had a 2% average growth in GDP per capita but also a 2.5% increase in stunting.   Child rights campaigner Graca Machel said at last month's International Policy Conference on the African Child: 'Women and girls, along with children from poor and rural backgrounds, suffer the most from hunger. In some countries, stunting rates are twice as high among rural children as among their urban counterparts'.   Graca Machel, founder of the Foundation for Community Development.   'Conflict and the climate crisis have exacerbated child hunger in Africa, with three out of four of the continent's stunted children under the age of five living in countries turned into war zones. In areas experiencing protracted conflicts, the rate of undernourishment in children is about two to three times higher.   In 2017, more than eight million people in Ethiopia, five million in Malawi, four million in Zimbabwe and three million in Kenya were affected by acute food insecurity caused by issues relating to the climate crisis'. http://bit.ly/2wt1IAA   http://africanchildforum.org/index.php/en/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/05/nearly-half-of-all-child-deaths-in-africa-stem-from-hunger-study-shows http://www.odi.org/publications/11420-child-poverty-africa-sdg-emergency-making   Jan. 2019   Multi-dimensional Child Deprivation in Ethiopia. (UN Children's Fund)   Nearly 36 million children in Ethiopia are poor and lack access to basic social services, a new report reveals.   An estimated 36 million of a total population of 41 million children under the age of 18 in Ethiopia are multi-dimensionally poor, meaning they are deprived of basic goods and services in at least three dimensions, says a new report released today by the Central Statistical Agency and UNICEF.   Titled 'Multi-dimensional Child Deprivation in Ethiopia - First National Estimates', the report studied child poverty in nine dimensions - development/stunting, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, and housing. Other dimensions included education, health related knowledge, and information and participation.   'We need to frequently measure the rates of child poverty as part of the general poverty measures and use different approaches for measuring poverty. This requires all stakeholders from government, international development partners and academic institutions to work together to measure, design policies and programmes to reduce child poverty in Ethiopia', said Mr Biratu Yigezu, Director General of Central Statistical Agency.   The report adapted the global Multi-Dimensional Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) methodology and used information available from national data sets such as the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys of 2011 and 2016. MODA has been widely used by 32 countries in Africa to analyze child well-being. The methodology defines multi-dimensional child poverty as non-fulfilment of basic rights contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and concludes that a child is poor if he or she is deprived in three to six age-specific dimensions.   The report's findings have been validated through an extensive consultative process involving the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth, National Planning Commission, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs together with the Economic Policy Research Institute, among others.   The study finds that 88 per cent of children in Ethiopia under the age of 18 (36 million) lack access to basic services in at least three basic dimensions of the nine studied, with lack of access to housing and sanitation being the most acute.   The study reveals that there are large geographical inequalities: 94 per cent children in rural areas are multi-dimensionally deprived compared to 42 per cent of children in urban areas. Across Ethiopia's regions, rates of child poverty range from 18 per cent in Addis Ababa to 91 per cent in Afar, Amhara, and SNNPR. Poverty rates are equally high in Oromia and Somali (90 per cent each) and Benishangul-Gumuz (89 per cent).   Additional key findings from the report indicate:   High disparities across areas and regions of residence in terms of average number deprivations in basic rights or services. For example, the differences in deprivation intensity (average number of deprivations in basic rights and services that each child is experiencing) between rural and urban areas are significant; multi-dimensionally deprived children residing in rural areas experienced 4.5 deprivations in accessing basic rights and needs on average compared to 3.2 among their peers in urban areas;   Given their large population sizes, Oromia, Amhara, and SNNPR regions are the largest contributors to multi-dimensional child deprivation in Ethiopia. These three regions jointly account for 34 of the 36 million deprived children in Ethiopia, with Oromia having the highest number at 16.7 million, SNNPR at 8.8 million, and Amhara at 8.5 million. Regions with the lowest number of poor children are Harar at 90,000, Dire Dawa at 156,000, and Gambella at 170,000.   Although there has been progress in reducing child deprivation, much more remains to be done. The percentage of children deprived in three to six dimensions decreased from 90 per cent to 88 per cent between 2011 and 2016 and the average number of deprivations that each child is experiencing decreased from 4.7 to 4.5 dimensions during the same period.   Most children in Ethiopia face multiple and overlapping deprivations. Ninety-five per cent of children in Ethiopia are deprived of two to six basic needs and services, while only one per cent have access to all services. Deprivation overlaps between dimensions are very high in rural areas and among children in the poorest wealth quintiles.   The report makes the following recommendations:   Speed up investments to reduce child poverty by four per cent each year for the next decade if Ethiopia is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal on poverty reduction;   Accelerate investments in social sectors prioritizing child-sensitive budgeting at the national and regional levels to enhance equality and equity; and   Improve collaboration among different social sectors to ensure that the multiple needs of children are met.   http://www.unicef.org/ethiopia/reports/multi-dimensional-child-deprivation-ethiopia-first-national-estimates   Nov. 2018   Conflict and inequality shape children's lives in Iraq   Conflict and inequality remain the defining features of children being raised in Iraq today, according to the first comprehensive survey conducted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in seven years.   'The data is the clearest indication yet that the most vulnerable children in Iraq are the ones that are most likely to fall behind', said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Iraq.   Most poor children are not receiving any form of Government assistance, and even as the fighting has subsided, 80 per cent of all children experience violence, either at home or in school.   While 92 per cent of children are enrolled in primary school, just over half of those from poorer backgrounds complete their education. The gap widens in upper secondary school, where less than a quarter of poor children graduate, compared to three quarters of children from wealthier backgrounds.   Children's education needs in Iraq are vast.   Half of the country's public schools need to be rehabilitated, while one-in-three juggle multiple shifts, squeezing children's learning time.   The five governorates with the lowest school enrollment and attendance rates are concentrated in the country's poorest southern governorates, and the two that have borne the brunt of the last few years violence, Anbar and Ninawa.   Regular school attendance regularly is essential for the more than one million children who require psychosocial support to cope with the invisible wounds of war.   'The hard-won gains to end the conflict in Iraq and transition to a stable future could be lost without additional investments for all children to reach their full potential', stressed Mr. Hawkins.   On a more positive note, Iraq has made progress on health, including maintaining high levels of assisted births and reducing newborn mortality. Babies who die in their first month of life dropped from 20 deaths per 1000 live births to 14 since the 2011 survey was conducted.   But the challenges arise soon after birth when only four out of 10 of children are fully vaccinated, with mostly the poorest missing out. Moreover, half of all Iraqi households risk drinking contaminated water and less than 40 per cent of the population has access to drinking water at home, increasing the grave risk of waterborne diseases.   'As Iraq moves past the violence of the last few years and forges a new path for itself, it must prioritize the wellbeing of all children', underscored Mr. Hawkins.   To maintain Iraq's recent gains and protect all children, UNICEF called on the Iraq Government to invest in services that benefit children affected by conflict and poverty, and to work towards putting an end to all forms of violence against children.   'Children are the future of this country, and a growing gap between the haves and the have nots sows discord and is detrimental for children and for Iraq', said the UNICEF Representative.   'With the right commitment and the right policies in place, the Government of Iraq can make a difference', he said.   http://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/deep-inequality-continues-shape-lives-children-iraq-enar http://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-massive-challenges-prevent-iraqis-returning-home-icrc-president-says   Global Multidimensional Poverty Index   The Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) has launched the 2018 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The report disaggregates the latest figures by age group to analyse the particular situation of 1.8 billion children who live in 103 countries. Findings show that across the 103 low and middle income countries surveyed, children are found to constitute 34% of the total population but 48% of the poor, based on a measure that assesses a range of deprivations in health, education and living standards.   According to OPHI 689 million children are living in multidimensional poverty and 87% of these poor children are growing up in South Asia and in Sub-Saharan Africa.   Children are also more afflicted by poverty, both in terms of incidence and intensity, than adults across all countries surveyed. The child poverty report finds that half of multidimensionally poor children live in 'alert' level fragile states, and child poverty levels are highest in the fragile states.   'These new results are deeply disturbing as they show that children are disproportionately poor when the different dimensions of poverty are measured', said Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI.   The global MPI was first developed by OPHI with the UN Development Programme in 2010. It has been published in the Human Development Report ever since. This invaluable analytical tool identifies the most vulnerable people - the poorest among the poor, revealing poverty patterns within countries and over time, enabling policy makers to target resources and design policies more effectively. http://bit.ly/2vGVT1v   * 2018 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (100pp): http://bit.ly/2VMm9XG Visit the related web page
	Over 5 million children in Yemen at risk of famine by OCHA, Unicef, Save the Children, NRC, agencies   Feb. 2019 (OCHA)   The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world, driven by conflict, economic collapse and the continuous breakdown of public institutions and services.   1. After four years of continuous conflict, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world. A higher percentage of people face death, hunger and disease than in any other country. The degree of suffering is nearly unprecedented. Eighty percent of the entire population requires some form of humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of 84 per cent since the conflict started in 2015. Twenty million Yemenis need help securing food and a staggering 14 million people are in acute humanitarian need.   2. Ten million people are one step away from famine and starvation. Two hundred and thirty of Yemen's 333 districts are now food insecure. This includes 148 districts which are classified as phase 4 under the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) system, 45 districts with families in IPC phase 5, and 37 districts which have global acute malnutrition rates above 15 percent.   For the first time in Yemen, assessments confirm the presence of catastrophic levels of hunger. At least 65,000 people are already in advanced stages of extreme food deprivation and 238,000 people in districts with IPC 5 areas will face similar conditions if food assistance is disrupted for even a few days.   3. Seven million, four hundred thousand people, nearly a quarter of the entire population, are malnourished, many acutely so. Acute malnutrition rates exceed the WHO emergency threshold of 15 percent in five governorates and close to 30 percent of all districts record critical levels of malnutrition. Two million malnourished children under five and 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women require urgent treatment to survive.   4. Conditions are worsening at a nearly unprecedented rate. In 2014, prior to the conflict, 14.7 million people required assistance. In 2015, this number increased to 15.9 million; in 2016 to 21.2 million and in 2018 to 22.2 million. In 2019, 24.4 million people need assistance to survive. The number of severely food-insecure districts has risen by 60 percent in one year from 107 districts in 2018, to 190 in 2019. In the last 12 months, the number of people unable to predict when they will next eat has risen by 13 percent and is expected to increase by 20 percent or more unless humanitarian operations are dramatically expanded in the early months of 2019.   5. The severity of suffering is shocking. The number of civilians in acute humanitarian need across all sectors has risen 27 percent since last year. In the health sector, the number has risen 49 percent to 14 million. In the shelter sector, the number has increased 73 percent; in protection 26 percent and in education 32 percent. In every cluster, at least half of all the people in need are in acute need. Acute needs are highest in the conflict-impacted governorates of Hodeida, Sa'ada and Taizz, where more than 60 per cent of the population requires help to survive.   6. Every humanitarian sector and most, if not all parts of the country, are impacted by the conflict. In the health sector, 203 districts are classified as acute. Less than 50 per cent of health facilities across the country are fully functional and those which are operational lack specialists, equipment and medicines. Immunization coverage has decreased by 20-30 percent since the conflict started and most health personnel have not received salaries for two years, or more. In the shelter sector, 207 districts are now classified as acute.   In the water and sanitation sector, 167 districts are classified as acute, a four-fold increase since 2018. Only 22 percent of rural and 46 percent of urban populations are connected to partially functioning public water networks and less than 55 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water. In the education sector, 36 per cent of school-age girls and 24 per cent of boys do not attend school. Fifty one percent of teachers have not been paid since 2016, hundreds of schools have been destroyed and more than 1,500 have been damaged by air strikes or shelling.   http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/2019-yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-january-december-2019   Dec. 2018   Yemen's food insecurity situation remains Dire, despite humanitarian assistance reports the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)   According to the latest IPC analysis, from December 2018 to January 2019, while accounting for the current levels of Humanitarian Food Assistance (HFA), 17% of the population analyzed (about 5 million people) are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 36% (about 10.8 million people) in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).   Overall, this constitutes 15.9 million or 53% of the total population. It is estimated that in the absence of HFA, about 20 million people or 67% of the total population (including Internally Displaced People - IDPs) would be in need of urgent action to save lives and livelihoods. This includes 240,000 people in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), i.e. threefold the actual number.   Food insecurity is more severe in the areas with active fighting, and is particularly affecting IDPs and host families, marginalized groups, as well as landless wage labourers facing difficulties in accessing basic services and conducting livelihood activities. Overall, there are more than 3 million IDPs in Yemen who face comparatively worse food security outcomes.   In terms of severity (areas in IPC Phase 3+), the worst affected areas are located in Al Hudaydah, Amran, Hajjah, Taiz and Saada Governorates. In terms of magnitude (population in IPC Phase 3+), each of the governorates of Al Hudaydah, Amanat Al Asimah, Dhamar, Hajjah, Ibb and Taiz have more than one million people in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and above, while 13 governorates without HFA would have populations experiencing catastrophic food gaps.   Armed conflict remains the main driver of food insecurity in Yemen, curtailing food access for both the displaced and the host communities. The food security crisis is further exacerbated by extremely high food prices, the liquidity crisis, disrupted livelihoods, and high levels of unemployment.   The large food gaps are only marginally mitigated by Humanitarian Food Assistance which is not adequate to reverse the continuous deterioration of the situation.   The ongoing conflict and the resultant economic crisis. Disrupted financial and economic access to food. High food prices. Reduced local food production. Access to low quality water and in diminishing quantities: http://bit.ly/2EspoKy   Nov. 2018 (UNICEF)   "Millions of desperate children and families across Yemen will soon be without food, clean water or sanitation services because of the deepening economic crisis and unrelenting violence in the port city of Hudaydah. The confluence of these two factors is likely to make the horrific reality facing children and families even worse as more and more war-weary people face the very real prospect of death and disease.   "The cost of food, fuel and water supplies has skyrocketed as the value of the national currency has plummeted.   "Water and sewage treatment services are at risk of collapse because of soaring fuel prices - meaning many of these same children and families may also be without access to safe water and sanitation. This in turn will lead to disease outbreaks and increased malnutrition - both of which, in combination with food insecurity, raise the risk of famine. An estimated 1.2 million more people will soon be in acute need of basic water and sanitation assistance, and the number is expected to climb in the coming days.   Families who can no longer afford basic food items could soon join the 18.5 million people who are already food insecure - a number projected to rise by 3.5 million, including nearly 1.8 million children.   "These conditions, devastating in their own right, are compounded by the situation in Hudaydah where violence threatens to kill children and choke off an essential supply chain of fuel and humanitarian aid that sustains 28 million Yemenis.   "If the port is attacked, damaged or blocked, an estimated 4 million more children will become food insecure throughout the country.   "The only way out of Yemen's nightmare is to establish peace through a comprehensive political resolution. Until then, UNICEF continues its call on parties to the conflict and those who have influence over them to abide by their legal obligations to stop attacks against civilian infrastructure - including the port of Hudaydah - and guarantee safe, unconditional and sustained access to all children in need in Yemen."   'People in Yemen face two horrifying menaces: war and hunger. Civilians have paid the heaviest price for the conflict. Millions are displaced and millions go to bed hungry every night', said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's regional director for the Near and Middle East.   An ICRC team in Hodeida this week spoke of dreadful living conditions for many thousands of displaced families who own only the clothes they wear and survive on a little rice or a thin mix of flour and water, if they find any food to eat at all.   The depreciation of the Riyal, reduced imports and difficulty of movement in the country have had alarming repercussions on the country's already catastrophic humanitarian situation.   Indebted and vulnerable, millions across Yemen survive on one meal per day. 'Every day many Yemeni families must choose between food and medicine', Carboni said.   The cost of living has skyrocketed. Prices for flour, sugar, rice and milk have increased by 30 percent since last month and surpass the modest budgets of most Yemeni families, whose savings have been depleted by long years of conflict.   Clean water and medication are also a luxury in Yemen, where vital infrastructure is crumbling, a fact that has led to an increase in infectious diseases such as cholera and measles.   According to the World Food Programme: "Yemen is the largest hunger crisis in the world. Millions of people are living on the edge of famine and the situation is getting worse by the day".   http://www.savethechildren.net/article/yemen-further-one-million-children-risk-famine-food-and-fuel-prices-soar-across-country http://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/yemen-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-worsens http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/currency-crisis-yemen-driving-millions-people-one-step-closer-famine-enar http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/half-million-homeless-yemenis-brink-famine-face-winter-freeze-oxfam http://www.savethechildren.net/article/famine-or-not-120000-children-yemen-are-catastrophic-condition http://www.savethechildren.net/article/i-urge-you-stop-fueling-war-yemen http://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/yemens-children-15-million-lives-scarred-and-voices-not-heard http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/living-hell-children-unicef-regional-director-geert-cappelaere-remarks-situation   http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/briefing-security-council-humanitarian-situation-yemen-under-secretary-general http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases/almost-four-years-of-conflict-has-led-to-declaration-of-catastrophic-food-security-conditions-in-yemen http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/35-organizations-call-immediate-ceasefire-yemen http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-prospects-peace-do-not-excuse-violations-hodeida-battle http://www.msf.org/yemen http://www.icrc.org/en/document/yemen-political-solution-needed-end-intense-suffering-yemeni-families http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-final-call http://fews.net/east-africa/yemen http://fews.net/east-africa/yemen/alert/october-24-2018   http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/15/yemen-on-brink-worst-famine-100-years-un http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/attacks-kill-civilians-are-no-longer-anomaly-yemen-s-war http://reliefweb.int/country/yem http://www.nrc.no/news/2018/october/statement-by-jan-egeland-secretary-general-of-the-norwegian-refugee-council-on-imminent-famine-in-yemen/ http://www.nrc.no/countries/middle-east/yemen/ http://theelders.org/article/elders-call-un-security-council-take-urgent-credible-action-lift-yemen-blockade http://www.ochayemen.org/hpc/ http://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/yemen http://reliefweb.int/topics/fighting-famine-nigeria-somalia-south-sudan-and-yemen Visit the related web page
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