FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 1 The health and nutrition, water and sanitation and agriculture CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE: and livestock sectors have in total requested for US$ SUMMARY OF THE LATEST HUMANITARIAN • 39,791,882. REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT AND THE NEW GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE Sector Total Available Net • REGIONAL OVERVIEW Requirement Resources Requirement • UPCOMING & ONGOING MEETINGS General Ration: 372,629,022 154,521,132 218,107,890 gross: 461,745 Focus on Ethiopia is produced by UN Office for the Coordination of MT (373,883 MT Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in collaboration with other UN cereals; 11,216 agencies and partner NGOs. Focus on Ethiopia provides a MT oil; 37,388 monthly overview of humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, MT pulse; 39,258 as well as focusing on particular issues of interest. Send MT blended comments, suggestions and contributions to [email protected] food) Supplementary 13,044,473 5,277,535 7,766,938 HUMANITARIAN REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT: food for The Government and Humanitarian Partners’ issued an EOS/TSF: Gross: 13,955 MT of updated Humanitarian Requirements Document on 14 blended food, oil October seeking emergency assistance for 6.4 million and RUSF; Net: beneficiaries. The total food and non-food requirement for 8,276 MT the estimated beneficiaries has reached US$ Food sub-total 385,673,495 159,798,667 225,874,828 265,666,710. The net food requirement stands at 270,245 Health & MT, amounting to US$ 218 million to addresses needs Nutrition 26,366,896 196,927 26,169,969 from September to December 2008. In addition, the Water & 2,900,000 - 2,900,000 Targeted Supplementary Food Programme that assists Sanitation children and pregnant mothers requires 8,276 MT valued Agriculture & 10,721,913 - 10,721,913 at US$ 7.8 million. The requirement to respond to non- Livestock food needs of identified beneficiaries has also been Non-food sub- 39,988,809 196,927 39,791,882 total adjusted to address needs until the end of the year. GRAND TOTAL 425,662,304 159,995,594 265,666,710 A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 2 GOVERNMENT’S REFORM PROGRAMME: The document also clarifies the new the structure of • Preparation of early warning information in different Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) languages and disseminate to end users within one following the reform. Based on the recommendations of day; the Business Process Reengineering the Disaster • Developing vulnerability profiles for all woredas within Prevention and Preparedness Agency and the Food five years time; Security Bureau have been merged within the MoARD. • Strengthening preparedness through stand-by Led by a state minister reporting directly to the Deputy capacity at selected strategic areas in two years time. Prime Minister, a Disaster Management and Food Security Sector (DMFSS) with two wings of Early Warning and REGIONAL OVERVIEW Response Directorate (EWRD) and Food Security Department has been established to reduce disaster risks SOMALI and improve resilience of food insecure and vulnerable The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate during the households by putting in place an effective all hazard early month as the dry season, hagaa, extended into October. warning and response system. In the Regions the Critical food shortages water scarcity, high livestock morbidity coordination mechanisms will be further strengthened at all and increasing prevalence of stress-driven rural-urban levels. migration continue to be reported from most parts of the region. The cumulative effects of the poor performance of consecutive rainy seasons coupled with rising food prices and declining livestock income has put the lives and livelihoods of many people at risk. Approximately 1.9 million people in the region require emergency food assistance. Rural-urban migration of people in search of food and assistance increased during the month as the food security situation worsened. According to the September report by DPPB/SC-UK areas where the highest movements have been seen so far are parts of Warder, Fik, Dagahbur and Gode zones and some parts of Shinile zone. The dire food security situation is also hugely impacting upon the nutritional status of communities, particularly children and the elderly. Increasing levels of malnutrition, attributed to a reduction in the number of daily meals along with decline in quality and portion continued to be reported in many areas. According to the September report by DPPB/SC-UK, malnutrition is On 13 October, MoARD briefed partners on the outcomes increasing in deyr receiving zones. Meanwhile, Enhanced Government reform programe. The reform aims to Outreach Strategy screening has taken place in 13 woredas enhance outputs of the Ministry by addressing outstanding and a total of 49,445 beneficiaries have been identified. Pre- challenges. The Ministry was identified as pilot institution positioning of TSF food to the main warehouses is now for undertaking the reform, which will continue in the completed. remaining ministries. Major achievement of the reform include redesigning mission oriented, more customer Relief and safety net food continues to be the main source of focused and outcome centered as well as establishing cereal supply to help farmers and pastoralists cope with the process based organizational structure. shortage of food grains in local markets and soaring food prices. A hubs and spokes system is being established by The Early Warning and Response Business Process WFP following agreement with Government. A high-level strives to address the major shortcomings identified in the meeting between WFP, the State Minister of the Disaster previous system including, duplication of efforts, lack of a Management and Food Security Sector (DMFSS) and the harmonized approach, crises management focus, poor Somali Regional President took place on 24 September in multi-sectoral approach and lack of standardized Jijiga to firm-up agreements between key stakeholders on the methodology. The reform tries to address the drawbacks launch and implementation of the new logistics system. and aims to develop a more efficient, coordinated and effective early warning and response system. Shortage of water for both human and livestock consumption continues to pose a critical challenge for health and Among the major stretch objectives identified within the livelihoods. Most water sources have not been replenished reform include the following: due to the failure of gu rains. Water tankering from the existing boreholes is the main source of water for affected • Placing an effective and efficient EW&RS within communities. The capacity of the boreholes is, however, one year in areas where WoredaNet is fully diminishing due to excessive usage and limited operational and in two years time where it is not replenishment. Rehabilitation of water sources is also an yet fully operational; outstanding priority. A monthly focus on humanitarian trends and activities in Ethiopia, produced by UN OCHA in collaboration with other UN agencies & NGOs FOCUS ON ETHIOPIA PAGE 3 The increasing feed scarcity as a result of the failure Although not adequate, some efforts including chemical of three consecutive rainy seasons has contributed to spray were undertaken to control the pests. Physical body abnormal livestock mortality in the deyr receiving zones conditions of livestock, on the other hand, have improved due particularly in Warder, Fik, Korahe, Gode, and Degehabur, to better availability of pasture in North and South Gonder, reports the DPPB/SC UK September update. Reported North and South Wollo and North Shewa Zones. mortality of camel, the most drought resistant animal, in Warder (Warder and Galadi woredas), Korahe, Degehabur and Fik zones is an indicative of the dire situation, highlights the report. The DPPB/SC-UK September report indicates a continued increase in the price of maize during the last 12 months (October 07- September 08): 264 percent (from 110 to 400 birr per 50 kg of maize) in Gode; 275 percent (from120 to 450 birr/50 Kgs) in Fik; and 250 percent (from 80 to 350 birr/50 kg) in Korahe. The escalating price is attributed to the recurrent crop failures combined with limited availability in the markets. On the other hand, the declining trend in the price of livestock continues to deteriorate the Terms of Trade, increasingly becoming unfavorable to pastoralists. The trend reached its lowest point by September 2008 where the value of a single shoat was AWD continued to spread to new woredas brining the total worth only an average of 9 to 17 kgs maize in the three number of affected woredas to 21 for the period between markets. The overall deterioration in the ToT during this January to 28th September. The disease has been controlled period is 83 percent for both Korahe and Gode and 76 for in 10 woredas as of the end of September, leaving 11 Fik. woredas reporting active cases. The spread of the disease is largely attributed to inadequate supply of safe water, poor AMHARA sanitation and hygiene practices coupled with shortage of The overall food security situation continues to concern medical supplies and health staff. With the harvest season humanitarian actors following poor belg performance. approaching and movement of many thousand of employees Early cessation of meher rains in some parts of the region to the farms in the region, it is expected that AWD will spread is also anticipated to affect crop production. AWD to areas, WHO reports. continued to spread to new woredas posing an enormous threat to health. Efforts are underway by Government and humanitarian partners to contain the spread of the disease. The FMoH, Approximately 815,000 people are in need of emergency WHO and UNICEF have provided support to the zonal and food assistance in the coming three months according to woreda health offices in the affected areas.