Ongoing deterioration of livelihoods in the drought affected regions of Ethiopia continues to result in negative coping mechanisms of communities; incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) are affecting the lives of millions of women and adolescent girls.
In November 2022, UNICEF supported 60,000 people through child protection interventions including mental health and psychosocial support, family tracing and reunification and alternative care services for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and prevention and response to violence, including GBV.
In Borena zone, Oromia, UNICEF provided 10 Emergency Drug Kits (EDK) and expanded provision of essential health services to drought affected communities.
UNICEF provided financial support for shock responsive cash transfers through the government-led rural Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) for drought affected families, covering the needs of 64,315 households.
UNICEF-procured 1.4 million doses of routine vaccines reached Tigray, which will help vaccinate an estimated 50,000 children.
Situation in Numbers
29.7 million
people in need (2022 HNO)
15.7 million
children in need of humanitarian assistance (CSA)
4.51 million
Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
878,027
pending and registered refugees (UNHCR, 31 October 2022)
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) 2022 currently requires US$532.3 million to meet the critical humanitarian needs of children, adolescents, women, and men in Ethiopia. This represents an increase of over US$281 million from 2021 primarily due to the situation in northern Ethiopia, increased needs due to climatic shocks including severe drought, failed harvests, public health emergencies, and deepening food insecurity across the country. To date, US$253.1 million has been received towards the appeal, representing, with the carry forward from 2021, only 48 per cent of the required needs to reach children and their families with critical lifesaving support.
Within the appeal, funding dedicated to the Northern Ethiopia Response Plan is budgeted at US$223.4 million and fully incorporated in the HAC. Furthermore, due to the severe drought that has impacted 24.1 million people across four regions, another US$202.9 million within the HAC has been dedicated to the drought response. UNICEF appeals for support to close the remaining gaps and to ensure that children and their caregivers receive lifesaving support.
UNICEF expresses its sincere gratitude to the many donors who have already provided critical support towards UNICEF’s HAC, including Australia, Canada, Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), China, Denmark, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK Aid, United Arab Emirates, USAID, Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund (EHF), Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and private sector donor contributions through UNICEF National Committees
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
The deteriorated livelihood situation in the drought affected regions has continued to cause people to resort to negative coping mechanisms, and gender-based violence (GBV) is affecting the lives of millions of women and adolescent girls. The data from West Guji zone Bureau of Women and Children Affairs office, collected from 10 drought and conflict affected woredas shows that 293 children were exposed to child marriage over the last three to four months. In addition, there are increased reports of children fleeing from their villages and crossing the border to Kenya, Djibouti and Somaliland, primarily from East Hararghe and Borena Zones of Oromia region, to avoid impact of the current climate shock.
As of 14 December 2022, 669 cholera cases have been reported including 24 deaths. Close to 743,000 people are at high-risk in the eight woredas. Of the total 669 cholera cases, 191 IDPs have been affected in five woredas of Bale zone (Harena Buluk, Berbere, Delo Mena, Gura Damole and Meda Welabu), one woreda of Guji zone (Girja) and two woredas of Liban zone (Quarsadula and Guradamole) with Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 3.59 per cent. In Girja woreda over 100 cases have been recorded in less than two weeks. The reported cases mostly fall within the age range of 0 to 14 years (with 16 per cent children under five), of the total caseload, more than 65 per cent have not received any doses of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV). UNICEF continues to support the scale-up of health, WASH and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) activities in priority areas.
The situation in Northern Ethiopia has shown improvement; the remaining 690 IDPs from Agatina IDP site in Afar have safely returned to Tigray through the multi-sector coordination facilitated by teams in Afar and Tigray. Similarly, in Amhara, over 250,000 IDPs in North Wollo, North Gondar, and South Gondar zones were returned to their place of origin. However, returnees are in urgent need of basic services due to damage or non-functionality of service delivering facilities. In Tigray, humanitarian convoys are gradually entering the region with food, health, education, nutrition, WASH and child protection supplies. Since the resumption of convoy movements in November, UNICEF has dispatched 28 trucks through the Semera (Afar) – Mekelle (Tigray) road with over 1,100 metric tons of multi sectoral supplies. In addition, on 8 December, UNICEF delivered 1.4 million doses of routine vaccines through UNHAS, which will help vaccinate an estimated 50,000 children. The distribution of aid to the most affected populations outside of Mekelle has been a work in progress, with supplies dispatched through UNICEF Rapid Response Mission (RRM) to Adigrat, Maichew and Abi Adi during the month of November, where nutrition, health, WASH and child protection supplies for vulnerable IDPs and host communities has been distributed.
While the relatively improved security situation in northern Ethiopia is gradually easing humanitarian movement, ongoing hostilities in western Oromia continue to displace hundreds of thousands of civilians impacting humanitarian operations. With the high probability of continued violence, the number of IDPs is expected to increase whilst response preparedness and capacity on the ground is very low to inadequate, compounded by access challenges. The escalation of hostilities in western Oromia has also impacted humanitarian operations in eastern Benishangul Gumuz Region. There is no road access along the main Assosa – Addis route via Oromia since 31 October, blocking both humanitarian and commercial supplies impacting approximately 200,000 IDPs and 76,000 refugees in the region.
Source: UN Children’s Fund