Horn of Africa Food Security Response – Ethiopia
Above: A women receives emergency food distributions by Oxfam in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The distribution includes cooking oil, split peas, wheat flour and salt. (Photo: Dagmawi Tadesse/Oxfam)
In 2023, Ethiopia was facing one of the most acute humanitarian crises in decades: conflict in the North, a prolonged drought and hunger crisis in the South, the refugee crisis in the West, and widespread displacement and insecurity in central regions. Food security was an acute and pressing issue, with WFP reporting more than 20 million Ethiopians in need of food assistance.
The devaluation of the Ethiopian Birr, a foreign currency deficit, hyperinflation, and fuel shortages added new layers of vulnerability, and the country was on the edge of political, social, and economic crisis.
Conflict left the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions in dire condition, with loss of lives, destruction of private and public assets and communities needing urgent support. According to the World Food Program, 90% of the 2022 crop harvest in Tigray was lost (looted, burned, and/or destroyed), and 89% of households in conflict-affected areas were reported to be food insecure. In Amhara, levels of acute malnutrition were alarmingly high, while in Afar, the multiple shocks resulted in 50% of the population needing food support and high levels of child stunting.
The conflict and related displacement intensified gender and protection concerns, with increased evidence of Gender Based Violence (GBV), including rape, intimate partner violence, and sexual exploitation, which was largely unreported due to stigma or shame.
The AHP Response
On 11 February 2023, the Australian Government announced $25 million in emergency assistance to respond to global food insecurity. This included $15 million for the Horn of Africa to provide food, water and other essential support, delivered through Australian and local NGOs, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN partners.
From this funding, $10 million was allocated for an activation of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) for activities in Ethiopia.
AHP partners Oxfam, Plan International and Save the Children worked with local partners to implement the response.
An additional activation in Kenya was also funded through this package.
Plan International, Save the Children and partners aimed to improve access to lifesaving nutrition services across the Oromia region, with a particular focus on malnutrition in children under five, as well as lactating and pregnant women. This was complemented by technical and logistical support to the local health system to enhance its capacity to treat malnourishment and build towards sustainable community-based management of malnutrition cases, as well as cash and voucher assistance for vulnerable households. Vulnerable households were supported with early maturing and drought resistant improved crop and vegetable seeds, goats and poultry to support livelihoods, and capacity development opportunities.
Oxfam and partners improved protection for vulnerable groups in Tigray, Afar and Amhara through regular community awareness sessions, referral pathways, and sexual and reproductive health services. To support households to strengthen and restore livelihoods and to empower the community economically, Oxfam established food production hubs in Afar with solar powered irrigation systems managed by community-based cooperatives. Emergency nutrition services supported the prevention, identification and treatment of acute malnourishment cases among infant, children, pregnant and lactating mothers.
Response highlights
The response increased access to quality emergency nutrition services. In Afar, Oxfam and partners screened 24,236 children under 5 years of age for malnutrition. Subsequently, 5% of the children were treated for severe acute malnutrition and 35% were treated for moderate malnutrition. 13,468 pregnant or lactating women (55%) were also found to be malnourished. A breastfeeding mother said that “my child used to suck my blood as my breast couldn’t produce milk before receiving emergency food aid because I was unable to feed myself…However, thanks to Oxfam for providing three rounds food aid, the child is now getting enough breast milk.'' In the Oromia region, Plan International and partners provided technical support to 34 nutrition sites. Routine nutrition screening coverage increased from 56% to 95% in targeted districts, helping to detect and refer acute malnutrition cases earlier. This resulted in the enrolment and treatment of 579 children with severe acute malnutrition, achieving a cure rate of 99.6 per cent.
In Tigray, where the nutritional status of communities has been severely affected by the war, Oxfam provided multipurpose cash assistance to 800 households. The households have included those of internally displaced people and host communities, with transfers used for food and other immediate needs. The transfers have been combined with dietary diversification training and training on Community Management of Acute Malnutrition. Monitoring showed that the training had improved participants’ behaviour and practice on nutrition. The targeted households purchased a variety of food groups, including vegetables, legumes, and eggs for themselves and their children. As a result, the mid upper arm circumference measurement of under five children in one intervention area had increased significantly according to health facility data.
Food security and livelihood activities have also been provided to 4,066 drought and conflict affected households in Tigray through Plan International and partners. Most of these households were provided with early maturing, drought resistant chickpea seeds, while others were supported to restock breeding dairy goats or poultry chickens. Many female-headed households and some households that include a person with a disability were targeted due to their increased vulnerability. One participant, a 70-year-old man with a disability experiencing food insecurity said, “thanks for the support I have now harvested 125kg of chickpea and built my confidence to feed my family, got access to animal feeds and increased production.” Another participant said, “I had no livestock prior to receiving four shoats, which multiplied now to eight. My family has become more resilient, and the assets have become our source of happiness.”
The response addressed protection needs in the aftermath of conflict, displacement, drought and hunger. In the Somali region, multipurpose cash assistance has been combined with support to meet the protection needs of children. Plan and partners have strengthened existing community-based case management and referral systems, held Positive Parenting Skills classes, and led social behaviour change communications. In Amhara, Oxfam has trained social workers and leaders in sixteen communities on countering gender-based violence. Daily services to support survivors, including referrals to protection response services, are provided by social workers in close collaboration with district women’s and social affairs staff, the community women’s league and Islamic affairs. Through social workers, there is now a platform for community dialogue on stopping traditional practices that harm reproductive health. Women and girls in these remote communities say it is the first time that they have had access to protection services to address GBV and other harmful practices.
Field stories from Ethiopia
