Dateline ACT

Ethiopia 03/06

It’s not just about too little or too much rain

By Caroline Waterman, ACT International

Ethiopia, May 5, 2005--After struggling to cope with two years of drought, pastoralists across east Africa were hoping the rains that finally came in April would enable them to rebuild their lives, but it has not been that simple.

The torrential rains caused flooding and swept away homesteads and livestock.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus (EECMY), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, has established a large number of animal feeding centers where pastoralists can bring some of their most valuable breeding cows to be fed and watered.

Yet when the rains began, they were so strong that in one night, more than 55 cows died because they were swept away by the floods or because they were too weak to cope with the cold.

However, recent reports from the feeding centers have been very optimistic. Many of the cows that survived the drought and rains are now returning to full health.

Some pastoralists have even collected their cattle from the feeding centers and have returned home with them. These cows, used for breeding, will play an important role in helping pastoralists to restock their herds.

Yet the situation remains difficult. Christina Ruiz, the senior emergency officer for Christian Aid, another member of ACT responding to the drought in Ethiopia, is currently working in the region.

She argues that it is not simply a case of too little or too much rain. The main problem is that weather patterns have become increasingly extreme and erratic.

As she explains, “Pastoralists work in seasons. Their life is organized around seasonality. This extreme weather has destabilized their whole system.

“If a lot of water comes in a very short time, they have no system to store it. They haven’t the resources, money or time to adapt to this unprecedented level of unpredictability. To do this they need support.”

EECMY, Christian Aid and other members of ACT* are working with pastoralist communities to develop ways that will help pastoralists adapt to the changing climate.

By digging wells and ponds and providing tanks to harvest rain water, for example, pastoralist communities will be able to store water and cope with longer periods of drought.

* The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Melane Yesus, Christian Aid, DanChurchAid and Norwegian Church Aid are the ACT members in Ethiopia working together under ACT appeal AFET61 - Relief & Food-security Assistance.

Caroline Waterman is a communications officer for U.K.-based Christian Aid, a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.