CERF Newsletter Sep 2009

Officials visit CERF-funded project to address acute malnutrition in Kenya

Mr. Ali Mohamed, CERF Advisory Group member and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Special Programmes, joined Mr. Rashid Khalikov, Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York, and other government, UN, and NGO representatives to visit the CERF-funded programme that is run by the Ministry of Health with support from the implementing partner Mercy USA.

After only two weeks of operations, the project already trained 17 staff who work in various health centres throughout the District. The project team had established an outpatient therapeutic centre and four supplementary feeding centres for those with severe and moderate acute malnutrition. Local communities were in the process of being mobilized around nutritional issues and critical supplies had been distributed to local health centres.

The visit was part of a mission aimed at assessing the general humanitarian situation in the larger Kajaido district and identifying critical humanitarian concerns. A recent CERF allocation to UNICEF of $1 million enabled the project to take place as the local Masaai community continues to face prolonged drought. Many of the pastoralists have been forced to move their livestock to the neighbouring country of Tanzania. Upon completion of the project, it is estimated that 2,000 moderately malnourished and 250 severely malnourished children under five years old will have benefited from the nutrition programme.

Member States briefing on CERF

The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) will provide an update to Member States on the use of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on 11 September in the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters in New York. The Permanent Representatives of all Missions in New York are invited to attend.

The ERC plans to give an overview of the activities of CERF this year and discuss trends in recent CERF allocations. He will also highlight measures which will further improve the management and effectiveness of the Fund, as part of the build-up to the annual CERF high-level conference, currently planned for 8 and 9 December 2009.