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Ethiopia

Situation report: Drought/Food Crisis in Ethiopia - 18 Aug 2008

Attachments

Highlights:

- From the 1st to the 3rd of September 2008, the U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator will visit Ethiopia to assess the humanitarian situation

- Needs of people affected by the crisis continue to outstrip available resources and supplies

- NGOs report reduced admission rates to nutrition treatment centres established at the onset of the crisis however admission rates continue to rise in newly-established programmes

- Low coverage of Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programmes (TSFP) continues to pose a threat to the recovery of children who have received treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)

- Considerable resource shortages for the food relief operation persist.

Humanitarian Overview

Current Context

The humanitarian crisis prevails in Ethiopia four months after the initial mobilization of resources and response to the needs of vulnerable people hit hardest by the drought and food insecurity. People living in drought-affected regions of the country urgently need food, water, emergency treatment for malnutrition and support to recover and rebuild livelihoods devastated by the drought.

Since the onset of the crisis government and partners have responded to the needs of the affected population through a range of emergency interventions. Partners continue to provide emergency nutrition care to children suffering from SAM in CTC (OTP/SC) sites across Oromiya and SNNP Regions. A handful of new interventions have been established in Afar and Amhara following reports of a rapid deterioration of the food security situation with consequent impact upon nutritional status. Efforts are also underway to expand emergency interventions in Somali Region. The government and donors continue to assist people through cash and food transfers under the PSNP programme. In addition the government, with the support of WFP, provides food relief to 4.6 million beneficiaries identified in the revised Humanitarian Requirements document (June 2008). Health and WASH partners are joining forces to prevent further outbreaks of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) among communities whose health status has been compromised by food insecurity and water shortages. In the midst of a plethora of emergency response interventions, a range of partners are also supporting people to recover their livelihoods through animal health and seed distribution programmes.

Resource constraints: Despite the best efforts of the government and humanitarian community to respond to the crisis the needs of people continue to far outstrip the resources available to hand. Government, donors and humanitarian partners are struggling to mobilise the resources required to mount a comprehensive response to the crisis against the backdrop of a food crisis of global proportions. The scarcity of essential humanitarian relief supplies, such as Ready-to-Use- Therapeutic Food, has reduced the ability of partners to fully stem the tide of the crisis.

Mission of the Emergency Relief Coordinator: The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Sir John Holmes, will travel to Ethiopia on the 1st September to assess the humanitarian situation and response to date and to highlight the impact of the global food security crisis on the country. The ERC will meet with government, UN Agencies, NGOs and people affected by the crisis.

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