Mother and Child Development Organization (MCDO) Survey Report on the Status of People Displaced by Drought in and Around Eastern Refugee Camps In Somali National Regional State On 14/02/01 – 08/03/01 2 Contents 1) Introduction page 1 2) Background page 1 3) Purpose of survey page 2 4) Methodology page 3 5) Executive Summary page 8 6) Findings page 15 7) Conclusion and Recommendations page 17 8) APPENDIX I. IDP Profile II. Questionnaires III. Team Members IV. Action Plan of the Team V. Map of Refugee camps 3 MCDO/97/01 19/03/01 SURVEY REPORT ON THE STATUS OF PEOPLE DISPLACED BY DROUGHT IN AND AROUND EASTERN REFUGEE CAMPS IN THE SOMALI NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE I. Section One Introduction: This report is comprised of three main sections: - Section one contains * Background information * Purpose of the survey * Methodology * Executive summary Section two contains *Findings Section three contains *Conclusion and Recommendations Appendix I. Profile of IDPs Appendix II: Questionnaires Appendix III: Team members and Plan of Action 4 A. Background Information 1. The recent drought that hit the Somali National Regional State (SNRS) has resulted in internal displacement and migration of hundreds of thousands of people within its frontiers. The Regional DPPB of the SNRS estimates that the majority of people displaced by drought (henceforth referred to as IDPs in this report) have lost their assets because of lack of pasture and water for their livestock. Although the families who have migrated from the Shinile Zone with some of their cattle have returned home because of improved pasture and water as a result of the last little rains, the majority of IDPs from other districts of the SNRS who abandoned their home villages in search of food are still residing in temporary shelters scattered all over the region including those who moved closer to the existing eight refugee camps in eastern Ethiopia whose number is reported to be increasing. 2. The gradual increase in the number of IDPs near and inside eastern refugee camps has become a matter of serious concern to UN agencies such as UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Food Program. The reported increase in IDPs in this region is said to be comprised of mainly women and children. As the main UN agencies in humanitarian activities in the SNRS, WFP/UNHCR/UNICEF have decided to undertake a survey on the IDPs near the eastern refugee camps through the structure of Mother & Child Development Organization (MCDO), based on SIM/MCDO’s recent experience in undertaking a similar survey on IDP shelter in Fafan of the Jigjiga Zone. 3. In order to undertake the survey, WFP/UNHCR/UNICEF and MCDO signed a contract agreement on 5 February 2001 and 9 February 2001 designating MCDO to undertake the survey around eight refugees camps in eastern Ethiopia. The UN agencies agreed to cover the costs of rented vehicle and pay DSA for the MCDO team members and the co-ordinator’ s salary for the services rendered. For its part, MCDO has assumed responsibility to conduct the survey based on an agreed-upon questionnaire and submit its findings in a form of a report within the proposed deadline. B. Purpose of the Survey 1. To obtain more accurate understanding of the IDP population currently residing around eight eastern refugee camps as well as their migration movements (seasonal, drought related, etc). 2. To determine special protection needs of women and children during the drought and to understand the “pull” factor that refugee camps may have. 3. To assist in the development of a targeted assistance strategy for IDPs around the eight refugees camps in the SNRS. 5 C. Methodology 1. In order to facilitate proper and systematic collection of data in the targeted survey areas near the eight eastern refugee camps, a questionnaire that had been agreed upon to be utilized during the study was translated into Somali and used by enumerators for data collection under the strict supervision of MCDO’s senior management staff. The questionnaire was comprised of three parts: 1) the IOM/WFP Questionnaire on Migration; 2) a UNICEF questionnaire on the situation of women and children; 3) additional UNHCR questions relating to pull factor of refugee camps. 2. The survey work was conducted in accordance with the timetable set forth in the contract and agreed to by the parties of the agreement by appropriating the duration of the contract present for desk work, field work in and around the eastern refugee camps and the collection and analysis of the data and writing the draft report. Accordingly, field visits were made to Aisha, Camabokor, Darwonaji, Daror, Hartisheikh, Kebribeyah, Rabasso and Teferi Ber. 3. IDP households in and around each refugee camp were randomly selected with every 13th household interviewed. Their responses were recorded in the questionnaire for analysis. The selection was made such that one household was interviewed for every 13 households. This was to establish an average family size that would enable us to determine a realistic figure of IDPs in the areas under consideration. 4. Focus Group discussions were held with local administration officials, members of women associations, representatives of Refugee Committees, community elders, religious leaders and birth attendants in order to acquire independent information on the current IDP caseload around the camps. 5. The most recent updates on IDP figures with local administrations of the eight refugee areas were reviewed in conjunction with the figures obtained through random sampling and the average family size established during the study. This was done with the view to determine a fair estimate of IDP population around the eight refugee camps. 6. Fieldwork was conducted by a single team of four enumerators guided by the co- ordinator. Data collection study was done at Teferi Ber, Derwonaji and the Aware camps followed by Hartisheikh, Kebribeyah and Aisha in that order. The information gathered was later processed for the preparation of the draft survey report for an initial discussion with WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF sub offices in Jigjiga. 6 D. Executive Summary 1. The presence of IDPs in and around the eastern refugee camps has been confirmed. The IDPs came from nearby villages and distant areas of the Ogaden. Those who came from the surrounding areas belong to the clan of the camp population while those who migrated from other parts of the SNRS are from different clans. The majority of the IDPs are pastoralists who lost their livestock because of lack of pasture and water. They moved closer in to refugee camps with the expectation that food might be available in one way or another. According to informed sources in the field, they came from other zones traveled by great distances to reach the camps. Some traveled 7-20 days while those from near by areas covered the voyage in about 4 days. It has been found out that the majority of the IDPs have been residing in the respective shelters for the last 12 or more months. Generally, the IDPs lack proper shelter and have no access to social services such as food, health and education, except for minor treatments, when compared to the refugees in eastern camps. 2. There are an estimated 9,272 families with a total of 46,360 people displaced by drought (IDPs) residing near the eastern refugee camps. Out of 9,272 families the team interviewed 714 households in all camps. All data have been verified with the local administration of the camps who registered the IDPs on arrival. The data have also been confirmed with refugee committees and IDP community elders. The highest population is found near Aisha (Degago) refugee camp, comprising of 3,241 pastoralist families from the Issa clan, with a total population of 16,205 persons. Those IDPs have migrated from nearby villages because of the recent drought and have been sheltered at a village called Maro Madobeys situated at 30km away from Aisha town and about 1 km from Degago refugee camp. The majority of the IDPs are pastoralist families except the recent arrival of about 700 Oromo farmer families from Babile and Fadis who have sheltered in and around Hartisheikh, Teferi Ber, Darwonaji and Kebribeyah camps. See Table 1 and 2 below. 3. The nature of the settlements of the IDPs differs from one place to another. Those who have sheltered in and around Aisha and Hartisheikh have been settled in areas isolated from the refugees and the local communities while those in other areas have built their shelters within and outside the refugee settlements. The situation in Aisha and Hartisheikh was arranged by the local Administration, as the caseload in both areas was high in comparison to other camps. 4. With regard to the living conditions of the IDPs in and around the refugee camps visited, most of the IDPs are in difficult situations both in terms of food and employment opportunities. Those who came from distance places are the most unfortunate when compared to those who came from nearby areas. For example, about 3,331 families/16,655 persons are from far areas constituting 36% of the entire IDP population. These families are, however, deprived of the opportunity to be engaged in income generation activities such as collecting firewood for sale, as they do not belong 7 to the host communities. The sole means of survival is by begging food from refugees and the selling of their own labor, including their children. Some of the children are engaged in house keeping and livestock herding. The most vulnerable groups among the IDPs are women particularly female-headed households, children and elderly people. 5. In the field of water, the IDPs share resources with refugees and the local communities in all camp areas except Hartisheikh where the IDPs are required to beg or pay for water.