ESCALATING HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
Drought,worsened by El Niño effects,continues to have a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of more than ten million Ethiopians.The height of the hunger season is fast approaching and life-saving needs will be at their most acute, necessitating a scale-up in response to the most vulnerable. Delays in dispatch and distribution of food assistance continue to drive moderate and severe acute malnutrition, and compounds need sin other sectors. Additionally,there are 20,000 households displaced by flooding a cross the country without access to shelter and NFIs. Risks of flooding are further exacerbated by the projected above-average kiremt rains,strengthened by a transition to La Niña. Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) outbreak is reported in Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions and in Addis Ababa.
Although response is underway,the scale of the emergency exceeds resources available. Humanitarian requirements have been revised upwards from $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion,with $703 urgently needed for the reminder of the year.The EHF to date has allocated $62 million,covering a wide range of responses from support to malnourished children and mothers,and to emergency W ASH and seed projects.
EFH WAY FORWARD
EHF will continue fund raising; organize call for proposals through participatory prioritization in the context of HRD; continually support emergency nutrition needs; processing through training and advocacy.