Ethiopia - Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response - April 2021 - photo by Joost Bastmeijer
The Somali region in Ethiopia is suffering from continuous drought and the consequences of the coronavirus. This has caused crops to fail and food prices to rise. This combination of circumstances has further exacerbated the need for many displaced families, including Raho.
“I was a rancher,” begins Raho, a 41-year-old woman with seven children. “Until a five-year drought killed our entire livestock. I had 70 camels and 300 goats. We had a good life. Only our donkey survived, luckily, because it carried my youngest children when we looked for a new home.”
“We spent days walking through the scorching heat looking for a place to settle. My children were starving, were exhausted. We reached this camp and hoped for help from the host community.” The family has been living there for five years now, but the situation has not improved much.
Raho: “When I couldn't find work, I went to collect tree branches and bark, 15 kilometres away in the bush. It is always quite an undertaking, I leave the children with a relative who also lives in this camp. My husband has left for military training.” Raho buys food with the sale of the firewood, but it is often not enough to meet all of her family's needs.
"The income is for survival. We eat less to save for the next day. My two oldest sons, 19 and 17 years old, often help to contribute to the income. They bring the firewood three days a week we have gathered, to the market.”
The pandemic has further exacerbated the food crisis for vulnerable children and families. Prices of commodities have steadily risen due to transport restrictions to stem the virus.
Raho was among 39,300 people in IDP camps in the suburbs of the city of Gode who received food parcels from the DRA. The emergency food basket contained 25 kg of rice, flour, cooking oil and milk powder. Sitting in front of the entrance to her compound, she prepares injera (a spongy flatbread made from flour, ed.) while talking. Some of her children, dressed in school uniforms, sit on the sandy floor, busy eating the bread with sauce. Raho says: “If children get enough to eat, they can grow again. If they get too little, they are not the same. They can now go back to school, have the energy to play.”
In addition to food, the DRA organisations also handed out soap and mouth masks to prevent the spread of corona. The soap that Raho received from the DRA has now run out. She hasn't managed to stock up yet, but her kids are still wearing the washable masks to school. Hand hygiene is extremely difficult in this community where there is a scarcity of water and a lack of soap.
When her budget allows it, Raho buys her water supply from the city's underground water storage tanks. The costs per barrel have increased due to the drought. The DRA also supplied water, but that was some time ago. It makes the family again seek refuge in the brown water from the polluted Shebelle River, two hours away. "We drink it straight from the river when the purification tablets that purify the water are not available," Raho said. "The risks worry me, but we have no other choice."
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Ethiopia has been struggling with various crises for years. The East African country is being ravaged by a devastating locust infestation, flooding and, in some areas, persistent drought.
Also, the conflict in the northern Tigray region has been causing fear and insecurity for months.
Cordaid, together with other organisations within the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), provided emergency aid in Ethiopia in 2021. The DRA is a partnership of 14 Dutch aid organisations that supports people in the world's largest crisis areas with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By joining forces, the organisations can make a difference for people in emergency situations. In Ethiopia, Cordaid worked together with SOS Children's Villages, CARE, the Refugee Foundation and Tearfund.
In Ethiopia, the DRA organisations have handed out soap, water filters and hygiene kits; repaired and built new health centers; repaired and installed water facilities at clinics, schools and other public places; provided information about protection against corona; provided mental health care.
With these activities, the DRA has helped more than 276,000 people, through close collaboration with local organisations. The activities focused mainly on girls and women.
Ethiopia - Dutch Relief Alliance Joint Response - April 2021 - photo by Joost Bastmeijer
The Somali region in Ethiopia is suffering from continuous drought and the consequences of the coronavirus. This has caused crops to fail and food prices to rise. This combination of circumstances has further exacerbated the need for many displaced families, including Raho.
“I was a rancher,” begins Raho, a 41-year-old woman with seven children. “Until a five-year drought killed our entire livestock. I had 70 camels and 300 goats. We had a good life. Only our donkey survived, luckily, because it carried my youngest children when we looked for a new home.”
“We spent days walking through the scorching heat looking for a place to settle. My children were starving, were exhausted. We reached this camp and hoped for help from the host community.” The family has been living there for five years now, but the situation has not improved much.
Raho: “When I couldn't find work, I went to collect tree branches and bark, 15 kilometres away in the bush. It is always quite an undertaking, I leave the children with a relative who also lives in this camp. My husband has left for military training.” Raho buys food with the sale of the firewood, but it is often not enough to meet all of her family's needs.
"The income is for survival. We eat less to save for the next day. My two oldest sons, 19 and 17 years old, often help to contribute to the income. They bring the firewood three days a week we have gathered, to the market.”
The pandemic has further exacerbated the food crisis for vulnerable children and families. Prices of commodities have steadily risen due to transport restrictions to stem the virus.
Raho was among 39,300 people in IDP camps in the suburbs of the city of Gode who received food parcels from the DRA. The emergency food basket contained 25 kg of rice, flour, cooking oil and milk powder. Sitting in front of the entrance to her compound, she prepares injera (a spongy flatbread made from flour, ed.) while talking. Some of her children, dressed in school uniforms, sit on the sandy floor, busy eating the bread with sauce. Raho says: “If children get enough to eat, they can grow again. If they get too little, they are not the same. They can now go back to school, have the energy to play.”
In addition to food, the DRA organisations also handed out soap and mouth masks to prevent the spread of corona. The soap that Raho received from the DRA has now run out. She hasn't managed to stock up yet, but her kids are still wearing the washable masks to school. Hand hygiene is extremely difficult in this community where there is a scarcity of water and a lack of soap.
When her budget allows it, Raho buys her water supply from the city's underground water storage tanks. The costs per barrel have increased due to the drought. The DRA also supplied water, but that was some time ago. It makes the family again seek refuge in the brown water from the polluted Shebelle River, two hours away. "We drink it straight from the river when the purification tablets that purify the water are not available," Raho said. "The risks worry me, but we have no other choice."
---
Ethiopia has been struggling with various crises for years. The East African country is being ravaged by a devastating locust infestation, flooding and, in some areas, persistent drought.
Also, the conflict in the northern Tigray region has been causing fear and insecurity for months.
Cordaid, together with other organisations within the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), provided emergency aid in Ethiopia in 2021. The DRA is a partnership of 14 Dutch aid organisations that supports people in the world's largest crisis areas with funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By joining forces, the organisations can make a difference for people in emergency situations. In Ethiopia, Cordaid worked together with SOS Children's Villages, CARE, the Refugee Foundation and Tearfund.
In Ethiopia, the DRA organisations have handed out soap, water filters and hygiene kits; repaired and built new health centers; repaired and installed water facilities at clinics, schools and other public places; provided information about protection against corona; provided mental health care.
With these activities, the DRA has helped more than 276,000 people, through close collaboration with local organisations. The activities focused mainly on girls and women.