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Ethiopia

Decades of famine and drought have placed a high toll on Ethiopia, and, for many, food security still remains a critical issue. As a result, CHF International is working to empower Ethiopians by exposing them to a more diverse base of income-generating opportunities.
Ethiopia - Live-Water

Overcoming Chronic Famine and Drought in Ethiopia

By April 2006, CHF/Ethiopia’s
Programs had helped:

  • 5,300 chronically food-insecure households involve themselves in sustainable agricultural production;
  • 971 households diversify their income and livelihoods in drought-prone regions; 
  • 730 households acquire small livestock for nutrition, income-generation, and trade; 
  • 4,278 households acquire improved varieties of vegetable and cereal seeds; 
  • 240 households receive training in integrated small business, health and sanitation practices.

Three years after severe drought conditions affected close to 14 million Ethiopians, rural communities are still struggling to recover. Despite improved humanitarian conditions, poor agricultural habits and dangerously depleted natural resources have compounded the issues leading to chronic drought in many parts of the country.

Since CHF International began working in Ethiopia in April 2004, we have established ourselves as a leader in mitigating complex emergencies by focusing on livelihood recovery and employment generation. Currently, CHF International is implementing three grassroots programs throughout rural regions of the country:

LIVE-WATER Program:

LIVE-WATER is diversifying livelihoods and increasing access to safe water for more than 100,000 direct beneficiaries. By partnering with Population Services International (PSI) and Water Action (WACT), LIVE-WATER interventions are also reaching an additional 173,000 beneficiaries in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) with improvements in health, water and sanitation. LIVE-WATER has two primary goals:

  • to rehabilitate and maintain the livelihood assets and skills of the most vulnerable households in the south to help them cope effectively with current and future economic, climatic and health shocks; and

to increase the water supply and improve sanitation practices in the Somali Region, as well as promote hygiene education in both regions.

Intensification of the Generating Employment and Building Independence (I-GEBI):

I-GEBI was designed to reduce the number of poor people who require food or cash assistance from the government and other sources. I-GEBI builds upon our successfully completed GEBI program, which delivered resources and training to over 14,400 vulnerable households to help them increase income and assets. In addition to working with regional governments, local NGOs and the community, I-GEBI is diversifying and expanding livelihoods and increasing access to credit, savings, and local markets.

Dire Dawa Interim Shelter Construction (DISC):

DISC represents a unique collaboration between CHF International and the Dire Dawa city government to jointly construct 330 transitional housing units to provide relief following a severe flash flood in the eastern town of Dire Dawa in August 2006 in which more than 9,600 individuals were displaced. DISC housing units provided immediate relief for beneficiary households and can be expanded upon by beneficiary families to become permanent settlements and communities.

Download the complete Fact Sheet above.

Additional Resources

  • Success Story from Ethiopia: Lending a Hand

    See how a major donor-government collaborative effort has worked to reduce food insecurity in Ethiopia by providing food or cash to people the initiative’s public employment programs.

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