IOM is to expand its health, nutrition and water, sanitation and
hygiene (WASH) interventions in Yemen's conflict-affected Abyan
Governorate following a USD 1.9 million donation from the UN
Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF).

The funding includes USD 425,000 for health and nutrition, and
USD 1.475 million for WASH and non-food emergency relief items.

The health and nutrition component, which follows two earlier UN
donations for health and nutrition totaling USD 450,000, will fund
two mobile health units (MHU) and two community-based management of
acute malnutrition (CMAM) teams targeting internally displaced
persons (IDPs) and host communities in the conflict-ravaged
governorate from May through July.

Abyan, located on Yemen's southern coast, was badly affected by
ongoing fighting that began in May 2011. The battle for control of
Zinjibar, the regional capital, between government forces and
Anshar Al-Sharia – believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – has resulted in the
displacement of thousands of families.

The new CERF funding will also be used to support a minimum
initial service package for reproductive health, a sexual and
gender-based violence response programme, and nutrition for
pregnant women.

IOM will also work closely with district public health officials
to revive primary health care services, including the provision of
support for basic human resources, provision of medical supplies,
community outreach and capacity building.

IOM is currently the only UN- affiliated organization working
directly in Abyan providing emergency health, nutrition and WASH,
and distributing essential non-food relief items to displaced
families and host communities.

It started its first CERF-funded MHU operations in September
2011, providing a range of primary health care services, health
promotion, assisted medical referrals and psychological first aid
in three districts – Sarar, Rusod and Sabah.

In February 2012, a second contribution from the UNOCHA-managed
Emergency Response Fund (ERF), allowed it to expand its health and
WASH activities and to launch its community-based management of
acute malnutrition (CMAM) intervention for a period of three
months.

By the end of March 2012, IOM medical teams had treated 13,592
patients, including 176 cases of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM)
among children.

According to UNOCHA, Yemen now hosts an estimated 465,000 IDPs
and over 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers from the Horn of
Africa. Over 10 million people in the country are regarded as "food
insecure."

A USD 447 million UN appeal for a Yemen humanitarian response
plan targeting four million people launched in December 2011 was
only 17 per cent funded as of mid-March 2012, according to
UNOCHA.

For more information please contact:

Teresa Zakaria

IOM Yemen

Tel: +967-736700311

E-mail: "mailto:tzakaria@iom.int">tzakaria@iom.int