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A green drought
The humanitarian implications of the ongoing food security crisis in Ethiopia have been dire. Due to a combination of factors, including the delayed and now deemed partial or total failure of the belg or short rainy season in many parts of the country, and the early, in places heavy and erratic onset of the meher or long rains, lives and livelihoods of millions of people are at risk primarily in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), Oromiya, Amhara and Somali regions. While the landscape may be getting greener, for many, food access is scarce, and the prospects seem high of a second season of total or partial crop failure, while food prices increase and households’ purchasing power decreases.
In April, seeing the situation quickly deteriorating on the ground, eight members of the Canadian Network of NGOs in Ethiopia (CANGO) formed an emergency relief consortium, led by CARE Ethiopia, to request support from CIDA/IHA. Soon after, a joint UN-OCHA/Government of Ethiopia appeal was launched stating 2.18 million people were affected by the drought. Since then, the Government of Ethiopia has updated its numbers and its most recent appeal now includes 4.6 million people in need. Recent UN figures show that 75 000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and illness and that the crisis is not improving. The total food and non-food requirements requested to properly address the emergency have risen from $68 million in April to more than $325 million now.
What CANGO is doing
CANGO was able to secure $500,000 from CIDA’s Humanitarian Assistance Branch that will go towards the emergency relief efforts of CARE Ethiopia and Food for the Hungry Ethiopia.
Through the project, the members of the Canadian Network of NGOs in Ethiopia (CANGO), are planning to scale up an ongoing Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) project, which is operating throughout the country. In view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in West Hararghe and East Shewa, there is an urgent need to fill a critical gap in nutritional service provision. The proposed scale-up includes the following components:
The project team will participate in nutritional and livelihood assessments, especially in woredas of West Hararghe and East Shewa where we have limited information.
We hope for the continued support of the international community in this emergency. Other CANGO members are ready to intervene, and we believe that a coordinated approach to this response is the best way to save as many lives as possible.