Crisis in Ethiopia: what is Tearfund doing?

Humanitarian need in Oromia Region, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia’s Oromia region right now, it’s estimated that there are up to 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in camps or with host communities.

There are also more than 300,000 people who previously left the area in the hope of finding better conditions elsewhere, but have now returned and are in urgent need of food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH**) assistance and access to health care.

However, violent clashes between Government and non-state armed groups have made it extremely difficult to reach some of these communities.

Because of this, the most recent OCHA*** situation report for Ethiopia says that, ‘In 2023,... little over 100,000 people out of a targeted 800,000 people received emergency shelter and non-food item assistance across [Oromia Region].’ The report goes on to point out that one of the major needs facing those people who have returned to the area is for support in rebuilding their livelihoods.

Flood Alert in Ethiopia

On top of all of this, the Government in Ethiopia has issued an alert for the 2024 March–May rainy season, calling for people to be prepared for flooding. Through the early warning, they hope to help save lives and help farmers mitigate the effects on their crops and belongings, but over two million people are expected to be affected with about a million possibly being displaced.

How is Tearfund responding in Ethiopia?

To respond to these issues, Tearfund and our local partners are working in the following ways:

• In the East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region, Tearfund and our local partner, the Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church, are using funding from the Dutch Government to provide people with WASH assistance, cash help and access to food, as well as support to rebuild their livelihoods. This project started in January and is expected to reach about 55,000 people over the next three years.
• In the Borena Zone, a predominantly farming area of the Oromia Region, Tearfund and local partners are using money received from our supporters through last year’s  to help 11,660 people (5,750 men and 5,910 women) in two drought-affected communities to get their farming up and running again.
• In the Konso Zone of the South Regional State of Ethiopia and the Borena Zone in the Oromia Region, Tearfund is also delivering a programme to help farmers adapt their farming methods to be more resilient in the changing climate. Funding for this has come from the GSMA Foundation to help 20,000 small-scale farmers and their communities who have been severely affected by the prolonged drought. Tearfund, in partnership with a local and a UK-based insurer, two tech companies and the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, is helping them to access insurance specifically to protect their crops and livestock from ongoing drought.

As part of this project, we are also helping farmers to access up-to-date weather forecasts as well as farming advice which can help them to be prepared and make decisions that will protect their crops or at least limit any damage caused by weather events.

Watch the video below to find out more about this innovative project.

As part of this project, we are also helping farmers to access up-to-date weather forecasts as well as farming advice which can help them to be prepared and make decisions that will protect their crops or at least limit any damage caused by weather events.

Watch the video below to find out more about this innovative project.

Tearfund’s ability to respond when situations like this arise is only thanks to the generosity and faithfulness of our supporters. We appreciate your prayers, and if you would like to donate so that we can continue to respond, please do so here.

*People who have been forced to flee their homes and find safety in other places within the country are often referred to as internally displaced persons (IDPs). Refugees are those who seek safety across country borders.

**WASH is the acronym commonly used to talk about provision of clean, safe water – both for drinking and for hygiene purposes to keep people safe from waterborne diseases that can be deadly, particularly to young children.

*** OCHA stands for [United Nations] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.