UNICEF

Children fill containers with water from a communal foot-activated pump, in the village of Kiendi-Walogo, Zanzan Region of Cote d’Ivoire.

Côte d’Ivoire continues to recover from the violence that erupted after the November 2010 presidential election. Over 185,000 people are still displaced, while more than 163,000 Ivoirians remain refugees in nearby countries, mainly Liberia. In the north-eastern Zanzan Region, the conflict worsened an already precarious existence where poverty affects over half of the population and food insecurity remains prevalent. Over 40 per cent of children are chronically malnourished, while the region’s rate of moderate acute malnutrition – 7.7 per cent – is the highest in the country. Over 30 per cent of the population lacks access to safe drinking water, while nearly 70 per cent lacks access to improved sanitation facilities. The region has a 16 per cent under-five morality rate, exceeding the already high national figure. Regional primary school enrolment is a low 40 per cent and is even lower among girls. Further, approximately 60 per cent of the region’s children do not possess a birth certificate, a basic requirement for accessing social services. In the context of a refocused equity approach, UNICEF, in coordination with the Government and other partners, continues to support efforts in health, including the treatment and prevention of HIV, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education and child protection.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-2481/Olivier Asselin

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