Burundi
Flood, 15 Aug 2024
| Allocation | $5,992,935 |
|---|---|
| Emergency type | Flood |
| Window | Underfunded Emergencies |
| Recipient UN Agencies | FAO, UN Women, UNHCR, WFP, WHO |
| Group(s) of people targeted | Host communities, Refugees, Returnees, Internally displaced persons, Other affected persons |
| Number of people targeted | 130,618 |
| Status | Completed |
| Allocation code | CERF-BDI-24-UF-1406 |
| Title | CERF Underfunded Emergencies: Burundi 2024 (Post-flood needs & food insecurity) |
Overview of the humanitarian situation
Burundi is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis fuelled by recurring climate shocks and ongoing socio-economic challenges. Since late 2023, conditions have deteriorated due to El Niño-related heavy rains, severe flooding, and rising water levels in Lake Tanganyika, which have displaced thousands and left many communities struggling to recover. Resettlement efforts have been hampered by inadequate shelter conditions, forcing many displaced people to relocate multiple times. Although the Government of Burundi has now identified adequate land for resettlement, progress remains slow, and the upcoming rainy season threatens to further aggravate conditions. Additionally, the impact of the flooding has exacerbated Burundi's already critical food insecurity. According to the latest IPC analysis, 1.2 million people have faced high levels of food insecurity (IPC3+) during the June to September 2024 harvest season, including 122,000 in 'emergency' conditions (IPC4). Chronic malnutrition affects over half of children under five across the country. As the lean season progresses, the risk of a food and nutrition crisis continues to grow, posing a serious threat to vulnerable communities.
CERF-funded assistance
In response to the crisis, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $6 million from CERF’s Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) window. This includes a regular UFE allocation of $5 million to address the most critical needs of the most vulnerable populations, particularly those displaced multiple times by climatic shocks, as well as children and women and girls at risk of or surviving gender-based violence (GBV). The funding supports multi-sectoral responses in Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural, Cibitoke, Makamba, and Rumonge provinces. This allocation also serves as a catalyst to strengthen partnerships, advance localization, and is expected to mobilize additional donor support to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Burundi. Moreover, the allocation strategically complements a previous CERF Rapid Response allocation provided to Burundi for floods in May by bridging immediate emergency assistance with recovery efforts that aim to stabilize displaced people and strengthen the resilience of people and communities to future shocks. In addition, through $1 million from the dedicated climate action envelope accompanying this UFE round, the allocation supports a Cash for Work initiative helping displaced populations restore degraded land through agroforestry, reforestation, terrace development, contour line creation, and soil conservation techniques. This addresses immediate humanitarian needs while strengthening resilience and adaptive capacities to future climate-related erosion, drought, and flooding. Collectively, this CERF funding enables UN agencies and partners to provide emergency, life-saving assistance to 130,618 people across the food security (including agriculture), health, protection (including against gender-based violence) as well as shelter and non-food items sectors.