Strengthening Infant Feeding during Emergency Response for Syrian Earthquake Affected Population ltpgtltspangtltspangtSyria is experiencing
a protracted complex political and socio-economic crisis that has resulted in a
severe deterioration of living conditions, with 6.9 million people internally
displaced and up to 90 per cent of the population estimated to live below the
poverty line a 10lt/spangtltspangtltspangtlt/spangt lt/spangtltspangtper cent increase compared to previous yearslt/spangtltagtlt/agtltagtltspangt[1]lt/spangtlt/agtltspangt.lt/spangtltspangt lt/spangtltbrgtlt/spangtlt/pgtltdivgtltbrgtlt/divgtltdivgtltspangt



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lt/spangtltpgtAn estimated 5.9 million people need nutritional
assistance, including 3.75 million children (2.2 million girls and 1.55 million
boys) and 2.1 million pregnant and lactating women (PLWs)ltagtltspangt[2]lt/spangtlt/agt. ltbrgt
The main drivers of undernutrition and micronutrient
deficiencies in Syria are displacement, food insecurity, inappropriate infant
and young child feeding (IYCF) practices with exclusive breastfeeding rate at
28 per cent, poor hygiene, sanitation, and water quality. National stunting
prevalence rate stands at 17.3 per cent compared with 12.6 per cent in 2019ltagtltspangt[3]lt/spangtlt/agt, with even higher levels in North-west Syria (NW
Syria) (at 22.3 per cent) while Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate stands at
4.5 per cent (severe 0.9 per cent and moderate 3.6 per cent). The Ukraine
crisis has further deteriorated the fragile scenario by triggering a fuel crisis
and a concomitant food price inflation. Accordingltspangtlt/spangtltspangtltspangtlt/spangt lt/spangtto the World Food Programme, a 40 per cent increase in food basket
prices since January 2022 has left 15 million Syrians food insecure with just one
in 20 children aged 6-23 months having access to minimum acceptable diet. The
level of acute malnutrition among children and women has been steadily rising
in the country since 2019ltagtltspangt[4]lt/spangtlt/agt.

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ltpgtltbrgtlt/pgtlt/divgtlt/divgtltpgtThe nutrition situation is further exacerbated
because of the multiple earthquakes which struck southern Turkey and northern
Syria on 6th of February 2023 affecting Aleppo, Hama, Tartous, Idlib and
Lattakia Governorates. This impacted 37,585 children
6-23 months and 12,528 under 6 months. To respond to the immediate nutrition
needs of infants, UNICEF as the Nutrition Sector lead agency and last resort
provider will procure ready-to-use infant formula (RUIF) for Breast milk
substitute (BMS)-dependent infants 0-5 months to meet the needs for six months. lt/pgtltdivgtltbrgtlt/divgtlt/divgtlt/divgtlt/divgt



ltpgtUNICEF and the Ministry of Health (MoH) agreed that
WHO and UNICEF will cover 60 per cent of the BMS needs for the next six months
in alignment with the current primary health centers (PHC) coverage in the affected
areas. Of these, UNICEF will procure BMS to cover 30 per cent of the estimated
needs and the remaining 30 per cent of the needs will be covered by WHO. Using
this contribution, UNICEF will procure RUIF to cover 1500 infants, which
is 56 per cent of the 2,687 (the target UNICEF proposes to support) BMS-dependent
infants 0-5 months.  Since the MoH requested UNICEF to procure BMS to
support these children and given the current situation and the urgency to
procure BMS for infants 0-5 months, UNICEF using these funds will procure and
distribute RUIF in the earthquakes affected areas. UNICEF will also ensure
the following:lt/pgtltpgtltbrgtlt/pgt


ltpgt1)   Managing the distribution of BMS to health
facilities by the local NGOs through the MoH,lt/pgt

ltpgt2)   Effectively disseminating standard operating procedures
(SoPs) and guidelines for management of BMS including the individual child
assessment questionnaire for provision of BMS, lt/pgt

ltpgt3)   Monitoring the distribution of BMS by
collecting community level data through the nutrition surveillance team and
taking the corrective measures as needed,lt/pgtltpgtltspangt4)   Establishing a Nutrition Sector complain mechanism
in Humanitarian Country Team areas (HCT) for preventing the random distribution
and taking corrective actions with the NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
who are randomly distributing the infant formula to the affected households,lt/spangtltbrgtlt/pgtltpgt5)   Orienting NGOs, CSOs, donors/ media, IDP camps
managers/community leaders and officials on accepting donation of BMS
responsibly, following e-IYCF protocols.ltbrgtlt/pgtltpgtltspangt lt/spangt  lt/pgtltpgtltspangt





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