The UNHCR Standardized Expanded Nutrition Surveys (SENS) provide regular nutrition data that plays a key role in delivering effective and timely interventions to ensure good nutritional outcomes among populations affected by forced displacement.
The refugee complex of Dadaab is home to an estimate of 208,000 registered refugees of which the vast majority are Somalis who fled conflict and drought in their home country several decades ago. The Dadaab refugee complex is situated in northeastern Kenya, near the border with Somalia. Dadaab was established in the year 1991 following the beginning of the civil war in Somalia. Somalis were forced to flee as the war worsened, leaving to neighbouring countries including Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. Today, Dadaab is home to refugees from many countries in eastern and central Africa, including South Sudan, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. Somali refugees make up more than 90% of the population. Until early 2017, it consisted of five refugee camps. However, one of the camps, Kambioos, which was also the newest, was closed in March 2017 as refugees began returning to Somalia and the few remaining moved into the other camps. Ifo 2 camp was closed in May 2018 in line with the cam consolidation approach, with refugees either moving to the other camps or being repatriated voluntarily. Refugees live in mud-walled houses with iron sheeting roofs, while some, especially new arrivals, live in tents.
The Standardised Expanded Nutrition Survey (SENS) was conducted between 20 August and 8 September 2018 in the 3 Dadaab refugee camps (Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera) to assess the magnitude and severity of malnutrition, assess trends by comparison with previous years and support programmatic decisions.
The weighted prevalence of global acutemalnutrition, the most important indicator, was 8.0% overall, falling within the POOR category (5-9%). However, there was a marked improvement from 9.7% in 2017. Only Ifo camp was within the SERIOUS category (10-14%). The high prevalence of anaemia remains a major concern, as shown by the anaemia prevalence among children which remained above the 40% critical threshold, despite having decreased. Anaemia prevalence among non-pregnant women jumped to 48.9% overall, from 43.6% in 2017 and was above the 40% threshold for all camps. Some improvement was recorded in terms of infant and young chid feeding indicators, although there is still room for improvement. The access to safe drinking water also continued to be satisfactory, while gaps were still observed in terms of sanitation. The duration of the food ration and dietary diversity basically reflect what has been observed in recent surveys.