***MEDIA

ALERT*** Interna0onal Medical Corps Mobilizing Emergency Response as Severe Drought Creates Poten0al Humanitarian Crisis in Somali Refugee Camps Margaret Aguirre Director of Global Communica5ons maguirre@Interna5onalMedicalCorps.org +1 310.826.7800 June 30, 2011 - Los Angeles, Calif - Severe droughts in the Horn of Africa brought on by consecu5ve dry rainy seasons, have inicted wide scale crop failure and food insecurity on already resource-poor communi5es struggling to survive in the region. Interna5onal Medical Corps is preparing for an emerging humanitarian crisis in refugee camps in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Due to the collapse of state government and ongoing conict among warring groups in Somalia, scores of refugees have ed to neighboring countries to seek asylum and are struggling to survive in camps in Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Eritrea, Djibou5, Tanzania, and Uganda. The severe drought has only exacerbated the social crisis leading to a doubling of refugee arrivals over the past ve months in already overcrowded camps outside Dolo Ado in eastern Ethiopia where Interna5onal Medical Corps has been opera5ng. With more than 20,000 new refugees expected to arrive per month at Boqolmayo and Melkadida camps, a signicant humanitarian refugee crisis is emerging due to a lack of space and adequate resources. The camps outside Dolo Ado are supported by the Ethiopian governments Administra5on for Refugee and Returnee Aairs (ARRA), the UN and na5onal and interna5onal NGOs. ARRA is providing primary health care and protec5on services within the exis5ng camps and planning to erect two addi5onal camps in coordina5on with UNHCR. To support the addi5onal refugee arrivals, Interna5onal Medical Corps is developing a workplan to address nutri5on, gender-based violence (GBV), psychosocial, sanita5on and hygiene needs extremely high malnutri5on rates are being reported among new arrivals in Dolo Ado transit centers. Since 2003, Interna5onal Medical Corps has operated a mul5-faceted program in Ethiopia, developing local capaci5es and delivering vital health services to refugee popula5ons. The organiza5on has been working to address drought-aected areas in eastern Ethiopia through nutri5on and water/sanita5on/ hygiene projects funded by UNOCHA-HRF and OFDA. In late 2009, the organiza5on launched a program to respond to GBV among Somali refugees to prevent and manage cases in Boqolmayo and Melkadida camps. Interna5onal Medical Corps trains refugee representa5ves, including clan elders, religious leaders, and women's associa5ons, to mobilize their own communi5es against GBV. In addi5on, teams are working to develop a comprehensive referral and response system for sexual exploita5on and abuse within camp sehngs. Since its incep*on more than 25 years ago, Interna*onal Medical Corps mission has been consistent: relieve the suering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is cri*cal to

returning devastated popula*ons to self-reliance. For more informa*on please visit: www.Interna5onalMedicalCorps.org.