Strengthening our support for communities affected by the drought in Ethiopia

In partnership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Development and Peace - Caritas Canada is providing support for an Ethiopian partner organization (the Harar Secretariat of Caritas Ethiopia (HCS)) by way of a six-month food aid project, implemented in two woredas located in the Oromia region of western Ethiopia. 

The country is currently undergoing one of the  worst droughts in 30 years. The two main rainy seasons, which ensure more than 80 percent of Ethiopia’s agricultural yield and 85 percent of its jobs, were extremely disappointing in 2015.This has led to the disruption of planting and livestock production across the country.   

“The El Niño weather phenomenon has been particularly devastating these past two years and it is now depriving the country of its harvests. The number of people in situations of food insecurity is constantly increasing and the means of subsistence of various population groups are seriously affected, including both crops and livestock,” says Bénédicte Bucio, Program Officer for the East and Horn of Africa at Development and Peace.  

The Ethiopian government has declared that 8.2 million people need emergency aid given the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. The new project put in place for the next six months will make it possible to distribute food to 1,964 families (approximately 9,820 people) every month.

Development and Peace is already collaborating with local organizations to provide food aid and access to water, improve hygiene and sanitation, and encourage the resumption of agricultural activities. The organization also supports aid activities in the areas of soil conservation and water recovery. Development and Peace has been active in Ethiopia since the organization’s  founding in 1967 and has forged strong links with local organizations working with the nation’s most vulnerable groups.