Projekte

Kurzbeschreibung:

Projektziel

The project aims to support vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ethiopia, who are suffering from the devastating effects of the ongoing drought in the country. In particular, with this funding, UNHCR will enhance the water supply to targeted refugee camps affected by the ongoing water scarcity, empower affected communities with one-off cash assistance, and provide protection to survivors of genderbased violence (GBV). The interventions will provide lifesaving support, while also helping to reduce tensions that are building up due to the increasingly high needs and limited available resources.

Erwartete Ergebnisse

R1: Realizing rights in safe environments: Provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health interventions: In response to the ongoing drought, UNHCR in Ethiopia will enhance the water supply capacity in eight refugee camps in the country, in support of around 250,700 refugees.

R2: Attaining favourable protection environments: Provision of protection assistance to survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), including through community engagement: During the implementation period, UNHCR aims to provide support to 400 GBV survivors who require urgent protection assistance.

R3: Empowering communities: Supporting livelihoods through cash assistance: UNHCR will support vulnerable persons of concern with vital cash-based assistance. The assistance will be provided on a one-off basis and will focus on those most affected by the impact of the current drought, including womenheaded households. In total, it is expected that 18,000 persons in Ethiopia will benefit from the cash support, which will help them improve their food security situation and avoid the loss of livelihoods. In addition, UNHCR will help create self-help groups for youth and women, with the purpose of strengthening their resilience to the negative impact of the drought.

Zielgruppe

In total, Austria's contribution of EUR 1,000,000 will reach around 107,600 beneficiaries affected by the drought (out of these 77,000 refugees and 30,600 IDPs). Activities will be implemented in Somali region, Oromia region, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) region. UNHCR works with local implementing partners such as Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Development and Social Service Commission (EECMY DASSC), Action for the Needy in Ethiopia (ANE), Partnership for Pastoralist Development Association (PAPDA), Women and Pastoralist Youth Development Association (WaPYDO), Rehabilitation and Development Organization (RaDO).

Maßnahmen

Activities include, among others: multi-purpose cash assistance, installation of additional pumps, the maintenance of water systems, and the provision of additional fuel to increase pumping hours, as well as implement water trucking whenever necessary, disease surveillance and control, health screenings, immunization, health prevention and promotion, medical referrals, referrals for social services, enhance health workers' ability to support survivors of GBV.

Hintergrundinformation

The ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa is the worst in the region in four decades and is the culmination of four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The drought is severely affecting millions of refugees, IDPs and their host communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Around 8 million persons in Ethiopia and 7.8 million persons in neighbouring Somalia are currently at risk of famine. As the crisis worsens, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in search of life-saving aid, including over 11,200 vulnerable persons in Somalia, who have crossed the border to Ethiopia in 2022 to date. The drought has further deteriorated the protection situation of refugees and IDPs in the affected regions. Populations are increasingly resorting to harmful coping mechanisms, with early marriage and child labour being on the rise. Additionally, the negative effects on already scarce natural resources are causing additional tensions between communities, increasing the risks of conflict.

The drought crisis also has a significant impact on the water supply. In Ethiopia’s Oromia region alone, water is currently not provided in over 450 schools, leading to a 68 per cent school dropout rate. Moreover, water is currently not provided in any of the over 960 health care facilities in the region. Waterborne infections, on the other hand, are increasing, as a result of individuals drinking contaminated water. The water shortages have key negative effects on the protection situation of refugees and IDPs: In 2022 alone, there have been over 120 reported rape cases, as a result of women and girls traveling long distances from their homes to access water. Finally, the drought is also severely affecting livestock in Ethiopia: currently, 4.5 million livestock need assistance, requiring feed, water and health support and more than a million emaciated and weak livestock are at risk of death without large scale interventions. The death of livestock could cause dramatic assets depletion, and further increase malnutrition and food insecurity among the affected communities.