Relief Intervention by the Joint Relief Partnership (JRP)
(Supported by the ACT and CARITAS Networks)

Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC)
Ethiopian Catholic Church (ECC)
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

Date of last report: August 18, 2000

The people needing emergency food assistance in Ethiopia has now reached over 10.5 million. The Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) released a new appeal at the beginning of August with an additional 3.1 million people needing food assistance. (Previous figure was 7.4 million). The increase is a result of the failure of the belg rains and a low 1999 meher-harvest; it also includes 350,000 internally displaced people. This is putting pressure on the government, UN agencies and NGO’s as they try to address increased need. Many agencies had forecast these increased figures and as a result had appealed to their donors for the need.

Overall the Belg accounts for just 5-10% of Ethiopia’s agriculture, however it is a high percentage (as much as 50-70%) for specific zones, making it the most important source of food for these people. The belg rains are also important to semi-pastoral areas to replenish water and pasture areas for livestock; in addition they are important for land preparation for the meher crops.

The meher rainfall towards the end of July and beginning of August was varied. Northern areas experienced good rainfall, however very heavy rainfall and hailstones during August caused a certain amount of damage to crops. The meher rainfall in the south of the country was below normal, which is exacerbating the conditions in the region.

There is a cease-fire in the border war with Eritrea, thousands of expelled Ethiopians are arriving from Eritrea into Tigray and Afar, putting a further stress on limited food supplies. This is in addition to DPPC's January 2000 estimate of the 316,000 internally displaced people needing relief assistance.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has made an appeal for an additional 254,000 MT of food aid for 2000, because of the failure of the Belg in line with the DPPC revised appeal.

Logistics are greatly improved. The WFP has introduced in collaboration with the DPPC a system for tracking food aid from when it arrives in Djibouti port, right to the point of distribution. Presently the system is running to the primary storage sites.

Donors have pledged to give 1,101,400 MT of food aid for the year 2000. The actual delivery has however been 599,716 MT, 55% of the total pledge causing a stress in the food aid distribution. Food aid pledges allocated for relief stands at 969,691 MT of food, out of which 51% or 497,366 MT has actually been delivered as of August 29.

To strengthen the in-country distribution capacity, WFP has contracted an additional 140 short-haul trucks that will deployed for deliveries in the most inaccessible drought stricken areas in the following five hubs: Arba Minch, Gode, Ginir, Korem and Jijiga. The trucks have arrived and are still under custom-clearance in Djibouti port.

Status of JRP confirmed food pledge for the year 2000 now stands at 93,048 MT of assorted food. (84,475 grain, 1,737 MT of Veg. Oil and 6,836 MT of supp. food.) JRP total appeal for the year 2000 based on the DPPC January appeal is 102,707 MT of assorted food (grain 90,623, Veg. Oil 3,022 and supp. food 9,062), a shortfall of 9,659 MT of assorted food (grain 6,148, Veg. Oil 1,285 and supp. food 2,226).

Much has been happening due to the change in the figures of those needing assistance by the DPPC (as a result of the Belg failure). On 18^th August the JRP co-ordinators meeting agreed to adjust their figures and the aims in line with the new figures from DPPC. The debate centered around three needs:

1. The increased people needing relief assistance in their areas of work because of belg failure.
2. To cover the needs of people in weredas that were included in the JRP appeal, but that resources could not be allocated to. The reason for this is that some donors earmarked the food to specific weredas; therefore some of the planned weredas could not be covered. After consultation with the DPPC that they are not being covered by other agencies, such weredas will be included in the revised JRP appeal.
3. In addition, there are new areas now affected that had not previously been considered and that some of these areas are ‘traditional’ areas for them to work in. However it was decided that they had to take a lower priority for JRP.

Generally logistics have been working well, with the exception of problems experienced in North Gondar (see under Amhara section). Before the rains a lot of foodstuffs had been propositioned.

JRP members are now preparing a submission to USAID for relief programmes for Jan-June 2001, as the food shortages experienced at the moment are expected to continue well into 2001.

2.2 Detail of activities (given by region - a table can be provided with distribution split into zones and weredas)

Flooded roads disrupted EOC distribution in Chenek of North Gondar. Trucks could not travel from the warehouses to the distribution site. EOC was able to borrow grain from the DPPC stocks near the distribution site and will replace the DPPC stocks with the allocation they have. EOC has supplies to maintain distribution in this area until December.

EOC have requested to start distribution in South Gondar in 2 centers for 4 months (Sep – Dec 2000). This is as per discussion with DPPC that EOC is planning to provide the assistance, as it is a traditional area for the Orthodox Church to work in. These weredas need assistance because of the belg failure. This is for 81,345 people in need and food has yet to be secured. ACT International would cover EOC implementation costs.

Through ACT International funding, EOC has received 1.1 million Birr to distribute seeds and tools in North Gondar in October.

There are large ‘belg’ producing areas in Oromia and large numbers of pastoralists that have lost their animals because of a lack of rain. From Christian Aid/ACT funds, LWF has purchased locally 139.5 MT of haricot bean and teff seed which has now been transported to Bale and will be distributed by EECMY/LWF to 3,000 families during September and October 2000.

The ACT shipment of 5,000 MT for Bale and Borena was planned to last until December, however with the increase in people requiring assistance it will last until September. Distribution is by EECMY/LWF and is accompanied by 240 MT BP-5 high-energy biscuits and famix provided by Finnchurch Aid/ACT.

Christian Aid/ACT locally purchased 2,760 MT of maize for Bale, distributed by EECMY/LWF. The food distribution will started this month and is due to last until the end of December. Over 800 MT of the total has already arrived in Bale.

Christian Aid/ACT grant of 11 million Birr from the British government (DFID) for EECMY/NCA distribution in Bale – a household food economy study has been completed and distribution of maize is due to start at the end of September. A supplementary feeding programme for malnourished children under 5, pregnant women and lactating mothers has already begun. Distribution will continue until January 2001 and be followed by another survey.

A second donation of grain from the Canadian Food Grain Bank (CFGB) secured food for Afder until the end of September. Planning is underway to submit an application for a third allocation for the area. Implementation is by EECMY; transportation costs are covered by the Mennonite Mission in Ethiopia (MME) and implementation costs covered by NCA. The grain distribution continues to be accompanied by BP-5 high-energy biscuits, provided by Finnchurch Aid; there are sufficient stocks to last 2 more months.

Areas of SNNPR are seriously affected by the failure of the Belg. EECMY/LWF aim to provide relief assistance to 100,000 people during the last four months of the year in South Omo, Sidama and Hadiya and KAT zones. As a result of a nutritional survey in the area by EECMY and NCA, EECMY have stated that the situation here is very serious and JRP is considering if food could be reallocated.

ECS is running three distribution centers in South Tigray, providing assistance to 150,000 people. ECS shipment, financed by Caritas Germany and the German government, arrived at Djibouti port on the 27th August. The total wheat onboard was 6600MT and will be distributed in the ECS centers from September to November. It includes distribution to the extra ‘belg’ related people in need. Finnchurch Aid/ACT high-energy biscuits (10MT) and famix (330 MT) are being used in ECS/CRS distribution centers in South Tigray.

Relief activities by partners outside the JRP partnership

Norwegian Church Aid/ACT have donated 19 MT of BP5 high-energy biscuits to EECMY to distribute in Bale. Norwegian Church Aid continues until the end of August with supplementary feeding in Bale with EECMY.

• The British Government (DFID) funding of Christian Aid relief supplies to Bale, distributed by EECMY, was accompanied by a household food economy survey held in mid August in the whereas where distribution is to take place; NCA also provided assistance. The survey has detailed a ‘norm’ for the area in good years and compared that to the current situation. It shows the deterioration of assets of the rural community in the last 3 years of drought and how their coping mechanisms have been stretched to the limit. It raises the questions of how long it will take the semi pastoralists communities in the area to recover, and in fact if some ever will recover their herds or be forced into only agricultural activities.
• JRP information officer has visited distribution centres run by EECMY/LWF in North Wollo and stories and digital pictures are available upon request.

The JRP provides emergency humanitarian relief in Ethiopia through a partnership of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopian Catholic Church, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Catholic Relief Services and Lutheran World Federation. The JRP partnership is extended through the Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and Caritas Internationalis networks.

ACT International is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human needs through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordination Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.

Caritas Internationalis, (C.I.) is based in Rome, Italy and has 146 member organisations active in 194 countries and territories. All Caritas efforts are meant to improve the quality of life, striving for a more just and fraternal world.

Sources: JRP partners, ACT members present in Ethiopia, DPPC, WFP, EU, USAID. 

JRP Information desk
PO Box 2383
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: + 251 1 531919
Fax: + 251 1 534148
Temporary Email: eecmy.co@telecom.net.et