General information

About the mission

Launch date: 1984
Local staff : 126
Expatriates : 14

Key facts

Population: 85 million inhabitants
Human Development Index: Ranking 169 out of 177

Humanitarian context

Ethiopia is a vast country with a myriad of varied and complex situations throughout its many regions. Humanitarian emergencies occur repeatedly. The  population is often pushed to the limit, not only by the harsh climate, but also by the frequent tensions caused by the many different conflicts that occur.  There is a constant risk of displacement: internally, due to the activity of the local armed groups (ONLF, OLF) and externally, due to a non-resolved dispute with Eritrea and the military intervention in Somalia.

The humanitarian situation varies from region to region.

In arid pastoral lowland areas, the population's ability to deal with droughts, social disintegration and instability linked to conflict is rapidly decreasing. These areas face many problems, including natural hazards (drought), social and economic issues (disintegration, increased demographic pressure) and, in the case of the Somali region, the consequences of armed conflict. During the last decade, it has become increasingly common in these areas for the rains to fail for one or several seasons in a row. These factors lead to a deterioration in the population's food security and changes in their migration patterns.

In the mountainous regions, structural food insecurity and the lack of sufficient social and economic resources mean that most families are unable to bear any additional problem (such as lack of rain, or bad crops).  This creates a serious state of emergency, which is ever worsening. Both the causes and the means of support are numerous and varied.  There are certain key factors which are known to aggravate food insecurity, such as significant population growth, low productivity, seasonal price fluctuation and the isolation of farms.

Despite some encouraging efforts made by the Ethiopian government, such as the launch of a new food security programme (FSP) in 2003 and numerous aid projects supported by funding partners, the response is still inadequate, or in any case insufficient, in relation to the enormous needs of the population. Many Ethiopians remain dependant on external aid every year to deal with the structural food insecurity, which often leads to alarming nutritional situations.

Action Against Hunger in Ethiopia

Since the beginning of its programmes in 1984, Action Against Hunger has developed programmes in the often marginalised pastoral areas of the lowlands (notably the Somali region), as well as reinforcing itsinterventions in the mountainous regions where the majority of the population live (SNNP region).

Within this often difficult context, Action Against Hunger continues to both respond to emergencies and to provide medium-term support for the population’s livelihood (livestock, agriculture, etc.). Our teams also continue to work on the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, and the renovation or construction of safe and sustainable infrastructures to protect water sources.

Somali region

Food security

• Training and monitoring of para-veterinarians
• Raising community awareness about livestock care
• Support for animal medicine sellers
• "Cash for work" scheme (work linked to irrigation projects)

Water and Sanitation

• Renovation of water points (wells, reservoirs)
• Training of Water Board staff
• Community training

SNNPR region

Nutrition and Health

• Treatment of severe and moderate malnutrition with a protocol for home- or centre-based treatment
• Healthcare practices
• Nutritional surveys

Food security

• Food for work programmes
• Livelihood support

Funding

Private donations

ECHO, European Commission Delegation, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Humanitarian Action Delegation