Ethiopia - Emergency Assistance - HelpAge International - 2019

In 2019 drought and inter-communal conflict are expected to leave at least 8 million Ethiopians in need of humanitarian assistance including nearly 2.9 million people displaced by violence and natural disasters. Internationally displaced populations are amongst the most vulnerable in Ethiopia living in nearly 1 200 informal settlements often extremely remote and with almost no access to food or basic services. In addition Ethiopia hosts more than 900 000 refugees reliant on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. With GAC’s support HelpAge International is providing assistance to address the urgent needs of up 12 000 elderly and other highly vulnerable people amongst South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia’s remote Gambella region. This project focuses on providing nutrition health and protection assistance sensitive to age disability and gender considerations to vulnerable people unable to access these services in refugee camps. Project activities include: (1) training 2 400 refugees of all ages on health and nutrition; (2) providing food and nutrient supplements to 1 600 acutely malnourished people; (3) providing basic health services including home-based care to 800 persons with specific needs; and (4) strengthening the capacity of staff and humanitarian actors in gender age and disability inclusion programming.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved training for refugees local staff and humanitarian workers in basic health services and healthy nutrition; (2) increased access to age disability- and gender-sensitive nutrition services for refugees; and (3) treatment of acutely malnourished vulnerable people in refugee camps. The expected ultimate outcome is reduced suffering increased and maintained dignity and lives saved among vulnerable conflict- and drought-affected refugees with a focus on the specific needs of women girls men and boys in the Gambella region Ethiopia.