A snapshot of the Consolidated Appeal for Angola for 2000

HOW MUCH IS REQUIRED?
A total of US$ 258.5 million for:
Food security: US$ 214.1 million;
Nutrition, Health, Water & Sanitation, and Relief and Survival: US$ 20.9 million;
Education & Protection: US$ 9.4 million;
Coordination, Security and Support Services: US$ 14 million

WHERE IS IT HAPPENING?

  • Angola is the fifth largest country in Africa with 1.2 million sq/km and a total population estimated at 12.6 million, of which 60 % live in the national and provincial capitals. A predominantly rural-based population has now been transformed into urban-based poor.
  • Angola's neighbours include the Republic of the Congo (North), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (North and Northeast), Zambia (Southeast) and Namibia (East). Angola is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
  • The current humanitarian crisis is the direct result of the ongoing conflict between the Government of Angola and the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) which intensified in December 1998. Humanitarian implications of this intensification of the war can be resumed in the fact that between April 1998 and September 1999 the number of confirmed internally displaced persons (IDPs) rose from a few hundred to close to a million. The overcrowding of provincial capitals and lack of access due to insecurity has stretched local coping mechanisms to the limits and forced residents to join IDPs in a queer competition for scarce resources and survival.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?

A total of 3.7 million people will be provided with humanitarian assistance during the year 2000 belonging to two categories of beneficiaries: civilian war-affected populations (children under-five, women, disabled, the elderly) and IDPs. Humanitarian agencies will try to:

  • Sustain and improve capacity for timely and efficient life-saving operations;
  • Lay foundation for development activities while providing emergency aid;
  • Establish monitoring mechanism to ensure timely identification of priority needs;
  • Assist in the development of a Government capacity to address emergency, rehabilitation and development needs as they arise.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CONSTRAINTS WE FACE?

  • Access & Security: violence against relief workers and civilians
  • Vulnerability:
  • Linkages to recovery:
  • Interface with GoA programmes
  • Flexibility: programming and funding

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DO NOT GET THE RESOURCES?

  • Increased deaths due to severe malnutrition, landmines, water borne and preventable diseases;
  • Increased vulnerability of urban residents;
  • Some 1.4 million and 330,000 would be deprived of access to food aid from WFP and ICRC, respectively;
  • Increased number of children will drop out of school (where accessible) due to poor nutritional conditions-lack of access to a supplementary feeding centers;
  • Doubling of the 600,000 rural families in need of support for food production which would hit most severely the 120,000 worst affected families;
  • Some 75,000 children with global acute malnutrition would be deprived from nutritional rehabilitation services;
  • Relief agencies would be hindered from running health services, conducting immunization activities and monitoring and assisting Angola's most vulnerable-500,000 children under-five and 300,000 women of child bearing age. One out of every four children dies before the age of five in Angola and in half of the cases their deaths are due to malaria. This disease also kills one out of every five mothers.
  • The availability of safe water and sanitation would be restricted for some 200,000 people prioritized by relief agencies in eight provinces. In addition, access to education for some 200,000 children displaced in 1999 would be further reduced. It is estimated that two out of every three children who are lucky enough to enter school do not reach grade five.
  • Several hundreds of thousands of abandandoned children, including some 10,000 unaccompanied children who arrived in Luanda and Benguela between December 1998 and March 1999 would have no support. This group would also include an increasing number of girls who are being exposed to violence, exploitation and prostitution.
  • Doubling of the number of people killed or maimed by landmines curerntly estimated at more than 90,000 people, including 87 children injured by mines, as relief agencies & Government would be unable to carry out mine awareness and risk education programmes.
  • Decreased ability of the United Nations to build a capacity within Angolan civil and state institutions to protect human rights and consequently abuses.

Please find more information on the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeals for 2000 at http://www.reliefweb.int/appeals