Food proves a lifeline to those fleeing conflict in Ethiopia
‘Sickness and even deaths could have happened if the food assistance was not here’
Destu Abdalla was pregnant with her first child when forced from her home. She and her husband walked three days to reach sanctuary from the inter-communal violence that had flared in their neighbourhood.
Her house, her job and her income from selling second-hand clothes are all lost, she explains.
Destu is among 1.6 million people who have sought shelter from inter-communal clashes along the borders of the Somali, Oromia and SNNP regions of Ethiopia. She now lives in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) site in East Hararghe with her now 9-month-old son. Like most of those living here, her only wish is to return home safely.
“I went to live in Jijiga as a child, but after living there for almost my entire life, I was attacked,” explains Destu. “I even had to quit schooling at grade 9 due to the conflict. My husband is a mason but he could not find a job here — he could generate income for the family if he could be employed.”
Destu had just received 30 kg of wheat, which should last a month. She uses it to make bread and porridge.
WFP is providing food and nutrition assistance to 378,000 displaced people in East and West Hararghe zones of Oromia Region, thanks to the generous support of donors such as the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO).
Despite running for their lives, most people wish to return home
Sheik Ahmed Adem stands waiting to register for monthly rations that will support him and his family of 12.
“I lost all my properties from the sudden attack. Some of my friends died in the conflict but as a matter of chance I managed to save my life,” says Adem, who worked as a pastoralist in Bikké, his home village along the Somali-Oromiya border.
He longs for the day when he can return home and his children are not denied their education.
“We may be looking for something to eat but our children are not going to school here at our new settlement. They don’t have proper clothing, they’re all clad in rags,” he adds.
WFP has been working with UNICEF to address malnutrition in the camps. Nutritional support including vegetable oil and fortified Corn-Soya Blend are given to children under 5 and to pregnant and nursing mothers, in sites where the risk of malnutrition could be high.
Having to rely on others
Dereje Alemayehu was a construction worker in Jijiga, the capital of the Somali region, before conflict forced him to the camp in Doba. He believes the food provided by WFP has been life-saving.
“Lots of sicknesses and even deaths could have happened if the food assistance was not here,” he said.
Dereje would also like organizations to provide start-up money, so people in the camps with skills to offer can start their own projects.
“Those of us who are able-bodied can work and be self-sufficient,” he says. “We can do small business, work in infrastructure or other businesses if any organization can care to give us the start-up money.”
WFP is grateful to ECHO for its support to IDPs across Ethiopia, which is vital in helping the agency provide life-saving food and nutritional support.
