The women and children of Melbena Village, Ethopia, anxiously await the arrival of a water truck in the drought-stricken Borena zone of the Oromia Region in southern Ethiopia, along the border with Kenya. The area has not received decent rainfall in over two years and the impact has been devastating for the largely pastoral community.  … Continued

For the second time in a year, Pakistan has been hit by severe flooding caused by the monsoon rains. While scars of the 2010 floods, worst ever in the country’s history, had hardly faded and the people were struggling to get their lives back to normal, heavy rains have caused widespread destruction in the southern … Continued

About six months ago, Kenya was one of the first countries in Africa to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine, and children now have access to this life-saving intervention through routine immunization in the Dadaab refugee camps in the north-east of the country. Report by Manuel Moreno and Kyle O’Donoghue. DADAAB, Kenya VIDEO: UNICEF correspondent Kyle O’Donoghue … Continued

Mobile health units are saving lives in drought-affected Ethiopia. GODE, Ethiopia (September 18, 2011) — For Halimo Faliid, 70, the arrival of baby Higad Mahad was bittersweet. In gaining a grandson she lost her daughter, a family tragedy that is still too common in the Horn of Africa, where the current drought is adding to … Continued

Mubarak, 37, and his son Rajab, 10, wade through the dirty flood waters up to their waist. They are attempting to rescue something from the murky depths, but from a distance it is not clear what it is. As they get closer and the water shallower, a heavy wooden chest comes into view. Report by … Continued

Six weeks ago, a three-year-old boy’s desperately worried father brought him to the nutrition stabilization centre at the Hagadera refugee camp here in Dadaab, north-eastern Kenya. Like many children arriving at the UNICEF-supported facility, he was close to death – malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from respiratory infections. DADAAB, Kenya, 14 September 2011 VIDEO: UNICEF reports … Continued

For children around the world, the end of the school holidays usually comes with mixed feelings as it is the beginning of a new school year. That was surely the case as schools re-opened their doors this week in the Dadaab refugee camps in north-eastern Kenya. Report by Manuel Moreno and Kyle O’Donoghue. DADAAB, Kenya, … Continued

At the side of the road in one of the most remote parts of Wajir in north east Kenya, a flurry of activity buzzed around a covered water tank. Report by Rob McBride. WAJIR, Kenya, 12 September 2011. VIDEO: UNICEF correspondent Rob McBride reports on innovative long-term solutions to water issues in Kenya. The tanker … Continued

VIDEO: UNICEF correspondent Chris Niles reports on a measles vaccination campaign in camps for people displaced by drought and conflict in Mogadishu, Somalia. Videographer: Eva Gilliam. “He doesn’t sleep,” says Furiyay, a mother whose young son sits lethargically on her lap. The boy is thin and his legs are covered with sores. “He vomits the … Continued

The fighting in Libya, particularly in the past weeks, has left the capital short of water and fuel. The disruption of the water supply to Tripoli through the country’s ‘Great Man-Made River’ pipeline system has left approximately 4 million people without potable tap water. Report by Roshan Khadivi TRIPOLI, Libya. VIDEO: 1 September 2011 – … Continued

As sporadic fighting continues across Libya, the country is facing a potentially disastrous water shortage. The crisis results mainly from disruptions of the pipeline network that serves desert areas lacking local water sources. Report yy Roshan Khadivi, BENGHAZI, Libya, 29 August 2011. Known as the Great Man-made River, the network carries water from more than … Continued

Either let through by the bigger children, or squeezing through unnoticed, many of the smallest were at the front when head teacher Habiba Mohamed Shuriye gave the order to serve the lunch. Their assortment of bowls, cups and jugs – held out by small, eager hands – were first to be filled from the vats … Continued