Ethipia is facing one o the worst drought in its history. The failure of the 2015 spring and summer rains coupled with the El Nino phenomenon have led to a slow-onset humanitarian crisis. The 2016 Humanitarian Requirement Document (HRD) estimates that 10.2 million people are in need of food assistance, excluding 8 million beneficiaries from the government supported social safety net programme, at a cost of USD 1.4 billion. Out of the estimated 800'000 people to be displaced before the end of 2016, 259'980 individuals have already been displaced beaxuase of the effects of the drought in the Somali, Ormia and Afar regions between August 2015 and January 2016. This figure is expected to increase in the coming months.

The Siti Zone hosts a population of about 457'000 people and is located in the Somali National Regional State: one of the hardest hit areas by the current drought where humanitarian response has been limited so far. The mainly pastoralist and agro-pastoralist populations have seen over the past months their food stocks deplete and their water resources and pastures diminish  with dramatic consequences on their food security and livelihoods. 

To contribute to the improvement of the nutritional status of the drought-affected population and to prevent a further deterioration of their livestock-base livelihoods in Shinil, Ayisha, Hadegala, Erer and Dembel woredas of Siti Zone, Somali Region of Ethiopia. 

Direct beneficiaries:

Vulnerable local and IDP households affected by the drought:

• 300 households (HH): meat distribution and nutritional education.
• 200 HH: animal feed intervention.
• 2'000 HH: animal health interventions.
• 3'500 HH: rehabilitation fo the boreholes.
• 700 HH: desilting of the ponds.
• 5'000 HH: vaccination campain.
• 120 farmers: fodder production.

Indirect beneficiaries:

• The private sector: meat, grass/hay providers, transport agencies and Private Veterinary Pharmacies/Practitioners (PVPs).
• Woreda sector offices.
• The community at large. 

The project has the following three objectives:

1. Improved nutritional status of the most affected households
2. The core breeding stocks of households severely affected by the drought are protected from further deterioration and loss
3. Improved early recovery of the livestock based livelihood of pastoral communities in Shinile, Aysia, Hadegla, Erer and Dembel Woredas of Siti Zone. 

Risultati principali attesi:  

1.1: Meat is distributed to 300 households for 12 consecutive weeks;

1.2: Nutritional educations is provided to the 300 households vefefitting from the meat distribution;

2.1: Small ruminants owned by 200 households are provided with animal feed;

2.2: Animal health services are delivered to 2'000 households;

2.3: 7 water pints are rehabilitated;

3.1: Strategic livestock vaccination campaigns supported in the recovery period to prevent further deterioraton of livestock;

3.2: Fodder production groups facilitated and supported through provision of trainings, seed, seedlings and buds, tools and related costs. 

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

The project does not have previous phases and is designed as a emergency single phase intervention. The Swiss Ageny for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has however had the opporunity to work in close cooperation with VSF-CH between June 2010 and September 2015 in other areas of the country, where their intervetnion was deemed efficient. Moreover, a field mission undertaken in late 2015 in the Siti Zone assessed positively the results obtained by VSF-CH in the framework of a project financed by the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF), as well as the capacity of the partner to implement the project in this area. 

This contribution is part of the SDC's response to the current drought and emergency situation and is complementary to contributions to UN agencies and to the EHF. In addition, this intervetnion will complement engagements in the resilience sector notably the development programme to strenghten drought resilience in the Somali region implemented by the Deutsche Gesselschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as well as regional initiatives in the field of drought resilience implemented by the FAO and IGAD at regional level. The intervention will be implemented in close cooperation with national and local authoroties, the UN as well as NGOs present in the area. 

Fase 1 15.04.2016 - 28.02.2017   (Completed)