Facts
A total of
544,977
people in need received our assistance in 2018.
Humanitarian overview
Conflict, drought and flooding are the main causes of displacement in Ethiopia. Surrounded by a region in conflict, Ethiopia is Africa's second largest refugee hosting country, hosting nearly 1 million refugees. They are mainly from neighbouring South Sudan, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia.
The refugee population continues to rise with the war in South Sudan and a steady influx from Eritrea. More than 400,000 refugees from South Sudan have crossed into Ethiopia's Gambella region since the war broke out in December 2013.
The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) at the end of 2018 reached 2.9 million, which makes Ethiopia the country with the most IDPs in the world. Close to a million people have been displaced by ethnic conflict in Gedeo and Guji in southern Ethiopia, while many were displaced due to conflict along the Somali Regional State border with Oromia and in the regions Benishngule Gumuz and Oromia. Flooding and drought have added to the internal displacement, and those affected are still partly displaced in parts of the country, struggling to rebuild their livelihoods.
People we helped in Ethiopia in 2017
NRC's operation
NRC is present in six regions and one city administration in Ethiopia, providing refugees and internally displaced people with emergency relief and helping them to rebuild their lives.
Education
We give children and youth a chance to return to formal schooling. Our education teams:
- give quality education and catch-up classes to displacement-affected children and youth
- train teachers
- give literacy training to adults
- distribute school materials
- construct temporary learning spaces and distribute school materials in emergencies
- provide vocational training where students receive professional certification in trades like hairdressing and carpentry
Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)
People affected by displacement often require assistance to interpret and navigate legal frameworks. We:
- help people understand their obligations and entitlements during displacement
- assist displaced people to access civil documentation
- collaborate with government partners to ensure that the legal framework of the country serves to protect displaced people in the long term
Livelihoods and food security
We strive to improve peoples' living conditions and access to food and livelihoods. We:
- give graduates from our vocational training courses business training and start-up packages that enable them to start their own businesses
- help displaced people to access markets and market chains
- distribute seeds and agricultural tools
- give training sessions on food security and agricultural production
Shelter and settlements
NRC is among the main shelter providers in refugee camps in Ethiopia and is present in several border areas. Our teams:
- provide refugees and host communities with shelter
- provide temporary and transitional shelters
- distribute household items like cooking utensils and plastic sheeting
- construct schools
- provide shelter construction training
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) promotion
We improve access to safe and sufficient water and sanitation facilities and promote hygiene awareness. We:
- facilitate access to clean water and latrines
- construct and maintain water infrastructure like drilling boreholes
- raise hygiene awareness
- fight outbreaks of diarrhoea by providing chlorinated water for both people and livestock
- distribute hygiene items like soap
- provide water for agricultural production
Child protection (CP)
Due to the high number of unaccompanied Eritrean children in the refugee camps in Shire, northern Ethiopia, NRC runs a child protection programme. We:
- identify care arrangements for the children
- provide shelter and food
- employ social workers and caregivers to support the children
- refer children with special needs to specialised agencies
- United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR)
- Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA)
- Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
- European Union
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
- Swiss Secretariat for Migration (SEM)
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- Wellsprings
- Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- LUMOS
