Period covered by this Operations Update: 27 November 2012 – 31 December 2012
Appeal target (current): The Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 1,562,562 in cash, kind or services to support the Angola Red Cross (CVA) in delivering immediate assistance to 12,000 households (60,000 beneficiaries) for 9 months, and will be completed by the end of August 2013.
Appeal coverage: 0%;
Appeal history:
• This Emergency Appeal was initially launched on 13 November 2012 for CHF 1,562,562 for 9 months to assist 60,000 beneficiaries (12,000 households).
• The first Operation update was issued on 27 November 2012.
• CHF 100,000 was allocated from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the national society to respond to urgent needs and transferred to the National Society.
• The implementation plan is currently being finalised ready for publication.
Summary: To date, 10 coastal and central highland provinces of Angola have been affected by drought. The agricultural production is very poor and the affected areas are experiencing water shortages for both human and livestock consumption. It is estimated that agricultural production will decrease by more than 400,000 tons nationally and an estimated 366,780 households (1,833,900 people) will be affected across the ten provinces.
The rapid assessment conducted by the National Department of Nutrition in May 2012 confirmed that most of the population, especially in rural areas, are affected by the drought. The total number of acutely malnourished children in the ten affected provinces is currently estimated at 533,000.
The assessment carried out by the RDRT team confirmed that the situation is serious and requires immediate attention before it escalates out of hand in the coming three to four months. In some areas, families are sharing limited water sources with livestock, leading to contamination. Consequently, the possibility of outbreak of water related diseases is very high. The Ministry of Agriculture reported a 60% decrease of average rainfall over the planting season resulting in 30% drop in crop production especially cereals like maize. Total crop failure of bean, maize crops and other drought tolerant tubers was reported in some of the affected areas.
With more than 70% of the population living below the poverty datum line, the impact has been devastating. Subsequently, although activities have commenced using DREF funding, additional resources are needed to ensure they can be implemented smoothly. Donors are therefore encouraged to contribute to this Emergency Appeal through cash and in-kind contributions.