CERF allocates $2 milllion for underfunded emergency in Guinea
22 February 2010: As part of its first round of allocations to underfunded emergencies, CERF allocated US$2 million to Guinea for life-saving programmes there. The World Food Programme (WFP) will receive $500,000 for food assistance for over 16,000 children and pregnant and lactating women. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been allocated $350,000 to reduce the high mortality rate of 9,000 children under age 5 in the hospitals in Haute Guinée. The three following agencies will each receive $300,000. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will provide health services to 6,000 refugees, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will cover basic health services to 35,000 people, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will assist over 9,000 flood victims with urgent agricultural assistance. Finally, some $250,000 will go to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to assist 9,000 severely malnourished children in Haute Guinée.
Despite the absence of a nationwide humanitarian crisis, there are pockets of vulnerability in Guinea due to economic decline, chronic poverty, limited availability of basic social services, natural disasters, and political instability. For example, torrential rains in August and September 2009 caused flooding in certain prefectures as well as the capital. In total, close to 50,000 people were affected, mainly in Conakry, Kindia, Dinguiraye, Siguiri, Kankan, and Guékédou. Few of Guinea’s humanitarian projects received even the minimum funds to respond to the needs. In addition, the National Nutritional Survey (2007-2008) shows that the chronic malnutrition rate has increased from 34.8% to 36.2%. The severe malnutrition rate is 8.3% among children under the age 5 and 2.8% of them are severely malnourished.
[Last updated: 11 March 2010]