Oxfam Canada

Published purpose

In Ethiopia an estimated 6.2 million people now require emergency food assistance and other humanitarian aid, including water, sanitation, and nutritional support, as a result of the poor rains throughout the past two years. This is in addition to an estimated 8 million chronically food insecure Ethiopians who already receive food support under government "safety net" programs. The humanitarian situation in the Ogaden region, in eastern Ethiopia, is further exacerbated by an ongoing low-intensity conflict between ethnic-Somali separatists, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), and Government of Ethiopia forces. The insecurity stemming from the conflict has often limited humanitarian access to populations in need and threatened the safety of both local and international humanitarian workers. Canadian support of this Oxfam project is helping to ensure: increased access to safe drinking water for domestic and livestock use for a minimum of 13,833 households; increased access to basic food and non-food items for 6,400 households; strengthened good hygiene and health care practices amongst targetted households; increased food and economic security amongst targeted pastoralist households; and improved capacity at the local level to manage and sustain water and pasture resources.