Ethiopia

Ethiopia is in crisis. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes due to violent conflict, rising hunger and economic instability.

One of the most notable armed conflicts has been in Tigray, where 9 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance and 3.6 million people have been displaced. Although a ceasefire has now been agreed, the needs are still great.

In addition to the conflict, the Horn of Africa has experienced four below-average rain seasons. People are struggling to meet their basic food and water needs, and are taking drastic action to survive. So far over  1 million people have left their homes because of the drought.

Rising food prices are making the situation worse. Below average harvests and rising international prices, partly caused by the Ukraine conflict, have caused the cost of a food basket to increase by 66%.

Ethiopia is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It borders Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, and Sudan.

It is a hugely diverse country, with ten ethnic regions.

In 2018 the current prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, launched a campaign of political and economic liberalization. But in 2020, a dispute with the leaders of the Tigray region overshadowed these efforts. Consequently, this swiftly escalated into armed conflict.

The crisis in Ethiopia has left millions of people in need. We have supported over 60,000 people in Ethiopia since 2018.

Items like tarpaulins, rope, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, water carriers and kitchen sets are helping people to survive in the increasing insecurity.

And as the humanitarian needs continue to escalate, we will be helping even more families. Working with our partner IOM, our next project will scale up to support a further 60,000 people.

We will be supporting communities in the Somali region who are affected by the East Africa drought, and communities in Afar who are returning to their homes following the Tigray conflict to find them damaged, destroyed and looted.