For the past few years, Ethiopia has been immersed in a variety of complex crisis leaving 21.4 million people (of which 12 million children) in need of assistance. A persistent lack of rainfall has caused widespread food insecurity, severe water scarcity, malnutrition, livelihood losses, and health risks. The drought crisis is accompanied by ongoing and past armed conflicts affecting millions of people in Northern Ethiopia regions.
To improve their joint capacity to respond to these multiple and interconnected crises, Alliance2015 members have elaborated the Joint Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (JEPReP) for Ethiopia and have been providing complementary assistance to the crises-affected communities in the regions of Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Somali and Oromia.
In Afar, ACTED is using the THRIVE (Towards Holistic Resilience in Vulnerable Environments) approach to provide income generation opportunities through cash for work that integrated farming and agricultural works, as well as to develop their livelihoods through farmer field schools and perma-gardens. Still in Afar, Ayuda en Acción is implementing integrated humanitarian and resilience-focused programmes responding to natural hazards and climate change effects as well as conflict, with multisectoral interventions using a nexus approach in Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, Education, Protection (GBV), and cash assistance.
In Amhara, Helvetas is implementing a recovery project at Wag Hemera Zone targeting drought-affected communities with MPCA (Multi-purpose Cash Assistance), agricultural seeds, animal feed, veterinary medicine and vaccination, restocking, and institutional capacity building. In addition, Concern Worldwide has extensive health and nutrition, water, and sanitation programmes across the region. Welthungerhilfe is also executing an integrated emergency response and recovery project aimed at aiding drought and conflict affected communities.
In war-torn Tigray, Concern Worldwide is preparing the provision of MPCA as part of a crisis modifier. In addition, Helvetas is implementing a recovery project targeting drought-affected community groups with MPCA, agricultural seeds, restocking, and institutional capacity buildings. People in Need (PIN) is also present and is implementing WASH activities. Moreover, Welthungerhilfe is currently implementing an integrated emergency response and recovery project aimed at assisting drought and conflict affected communities.
Despite all the efforts of Alliance2015 members on the field, a lot remains to be done in Ethiopia to alleviate the unprecedented crisis the country is going through. Alliance2015 members as humanitarian partners addressing the root causes and effects of the current devastating drought, require additional resources to scale up response efforts across affected regions and people in dire need. With increased funding, urgent action, and collaboration, Alliance2015 members believe that basic needs must be addressed during emergencies for those who are most in need – saving lives, supporting recovery efforts, and ensuring that communities have the opportunity to rebuild prosperous futures.
