Aid agencies launch fund raising campaign for Ethiopia

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

March 24, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Humanitarian partners have launched a fund raising campaign in response to the fate of millions affected by drought catastrophe in Ethiopia.

A woman casts her vote in Ethiopia’s general election in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sunday, May 24, 2015. (AP Photo)

Officials from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said, the aid agencies have launched a 90-days campaign to raise awareness on the urgent need for additional funding for the drought crisis in Ethiopia to address the humanitarian resource gap.

“Ethiopia is currently contending with one of the most serious climatic shocks in recorded history with ten million people facing lost harvests and livestock as well as severe water shortages and health risks,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onuchie, the relief coordinator for Ethiopia.

“We are launching this campaign to advocate for increased funding commensurate with the scale and severity of this crisis”

The agencies fund raising campaign comes only few days after the Ethiopian government appealed for more food assistance as the Horn of Africa’s nation faces the worst drought in decades.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn last week said his country is seeking of more international support because of the hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries it hosts.

Ethiopia currently hosts over 730,000 refugees mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan.

While Ethiopia’s 2016 US$1.4 billion appeal has received over US$758 million from the Ethiopian government and the international community, The UN official has, however, underscored presence of significant life-saving gaps across all sectors.

“The four months lead time to get relief commodities to people in need means that action is required now,” she said.

The aid agencies commended the Ethiopian government on its immediate response to the crises and ways of handling the humanitarian outreach.

The UN relief coordinator, says that drought response is not only just about saving lives it is also about protecting development gains - gains which the Government and its development partners have worked tirelessly to build up over decades.

“The Government’s vision for development, enshrined in the second Growth and Transformation Plan, promises to steer Ethiopia further down its already remarkable path of progress,” said Eziakonwa Onuchie.

“We need to rally urgently to protect the development gains of Ethiopia over the past decade and ensure the country remains on its remarkable development trajectory. Urgent and substantial investment in the humanitarian crisis response this year is the only way to ensure this and we must act now.”

It was also observed that the Ethiopian government is one of the largest financial contributors to the crisis so far and also leads in the coordination of a complex inter-sector response, which uses government systems and relies on national capacity.

“We are indeed thankful and encouraged by the donors who have stepped up to support Ethiopia in this drought crisis”’ said the National Disaster Risk Management Commission Commissioner, Mitiku Kassa.

The horn of Africa’s nation is currently struggling to feed millions of its citizens affected after a drought induced by an El Nino weather phenomenon.

According to aid agencies, more than 10 million people in Ethiopia need an emergency food aid and more than 1.4 billion US dollars is needed to deal with the crisis.

Source: Sudan Tribune