Nutrition Support for South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia - Concern 2021

February 2021 - Prior to the outbreak of conflict in the Tigray region in late 2020 Ethiopia was already facing ongoing acute humanitarian need arising from sporadic but widespread intercommunal conflict regional drought and flooding swarms of desert locusts the economic pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of hosting nearly 800 000 refugees throughout the country. Together these crises have led to widespread food insecurity high levels of acute malnutrition and significant population displacement. Although ongoing fighting and other access restrictions have hindered full needs assessments in Tigray an estimated 29 million people in Ethiopia are likely to require humanitarian assistance in 2021. With GAC’s support Concern is identifying and treating acute malnutrition amongst under-five children and pregnant and lactating women in the South Sudanese refugee population living in Ethiopia’s Gambella region. Project activities include: (1) conducting ongoing surveillance to identify acute malnutrition; (2) providing supplementary and therapeutic feeding to treat acute malnutrition; and (3) providing training and support to improve dietary diversity amongst South Sudanese refugees in Gambella.

The expected outcome for this project is reduced or maintained rates of acute malnutrition amongst vulnerable South Sudanese refugees in Gambella. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.