Appeal Target: US$ 7,262,415

The south-eastern pastoral areas of Ethiopia have suffered dry conditions as a result of poor rains following the near total failure of two previous rainy seasons (Ganna and Hageya in the South, Gu and Deyr in Somali region), and a more severe than normal dry season in most parts of these areas leading to a short supply of water and pasture.  Pastoral and agro-pastoral households relying on livestock for access to income and food face high to extreme food insecurity. The impact of the long dry spell has caused severe shortage of pasture and water and led to the death of livestock and unusual livestock migrations to take place.  Another poor rainy season would exacerbate food insecurity in these areas. A decline in livestock prices due to the deterioration of livestock body conditions is negatively impacting on both livestock production and their market value. Moreover, low cereal supply and high prices have deteriorated the terms of trade, household income and food access of pastoral groups. Reduced harvests in rain-fed agro-pastoral and marginal crop-production areas have resulted in limited replenishment of household and market food stocks and further increased food prices.

The National Meteorological Agency forecasts that performance of the belg rains this year will be below average. To date, the belg rains have been delayed and much below normal, causing delays in planting of belg crops in the north-eastern highlands as well as in the southern parts of the country where belg crops contribute between 50 to 100 percent of household annual production. These rains contribute to about 5 to 10 percent of the national crop production.

According to the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) Food Security Update for Ethiopia, the combined effects of a strong La Niņa event and the cooling of the western Indian Ocean waters resulted in below-normal March-May rains. Drought conditions in several areas, including south and south-eastern Ethiopia, are therefore likely to prolong, further exacerbating severe water and pasture shortages and food insecurity. In addition, high international fuel and cereal prices, in combination with rising food prices, displacement, market disruptions, and sporadic ethnic conflict in the South, are worsening the risk of food crisis and humanitarian emergency in the country.

To avert the critical moisture deficiency situations prevailing in the above areas, the Federal Disaster Prevention & Preparedness Agency had released a revised humanitarian requirements document in June 2008 with a plan for 4.6 million beneficiaries. This figure does not include the approximately 8 million chronically food insecure people who continue to be assisted through the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP).

The ACT Ethiopia Forum (AEF) has been closely monitoring the deteriorating situation mainly in Borena Zone of Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), Amhara and the Somali regions since the beginning of the New Year, and updated ACT International as the situation unfolds. Recognizing the grim reality in the drought affected areas of the South and South-eastern parts of the country, members of the forum (DanChurchAid, Christian Aid and Norwegian Church Aid) had initiated and prompted a life saving water transportation distribution program in five selected woredas of Borena Zone of Oromia and Filtu woreda of Liben Zone of Somali regions. The assistance, though short lived due to fund limitations (one month), was also a drop in the ocean when compared to the magnitude of the problem; it however, had opened access to water for human consumption especially to victims of the drought in the targeted woreda at a very critical time.

As a consortium of ecumenical humanitarian NGOs having a wide range of past experience and adequate knowledge of the affected areas and engagement in emergency responses, members of the ACT Ethiopia Forum have found it prudent to contribute to addressing the deteriorating situation. With this appeal, the ACT Ethiopia Forum through its members and implementing agencies Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Development and Social Services Commission (EECMY-DASSC), DanChurch Aid, Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service and Christian Aid commits itself to actively engage in emergency, recovery and rehabilitation programs in 15 woredas (districts) of the four regions (Amhara, Oromia, Gambella, and SNNPR) of the country.

In general, according to the joint needs assessment conducted recently, a total of 4,617,301 people are estimated to require food assistance in 2008 due to the poor performance of the short and long rains in the pastoral, agro pastoral and belg rain dependent high land crop producing areas of the country. Of this total, around 29% comes from SNNP region alone, another 22.6% from Oromia and 17.6% from Amhara respectively.

This appeal will conduct activities to meet the immediate as well as the long-term needs of 120,880 vulnerable people and their livestock in the critically affected Oromia, Gambella, SNNPR, and Amhara Regions.

Name of ACT implementing members:

• Ethiopian Orthodox Church Development and Inter-Church Aid Commission (EOC-DICAC)
• Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus Development Social Services Commission (EECMY-DASSC)
• DanChurchAid (DCA)
• Lutheran World Federation Department for World Service (LWF)
• Christian Aid (CA)

Project Completion Date: 30 June 2009

Reporting schedule:

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested (US$): 

Signed by:
John Nduna
Director, ACT Co-ordinaating Office