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Kombolcha – Emergency aid

Emergency aid for war refugees in Ethiopia

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Project Information

  • Activities:
    – Procurement of relief goods
    – Transport of the goods to the town of Kombolcha
    – Distribution of relief goods to families
    – Follow-up of the situation
  • Target group: 4,614 IDPs
  • Region: Kombolcha, South Wollo, Amhara
  • Partner: SSD
  • Duration: Oct. to Dec. 2021

Project Goal

Project Description

PROJECT UPDATE

In early November 2021, the war reached Kombolcha. Rebels from Tigray captured the town after fierce fighting against government troops. Menschen für Menschen had to cut short its emergency aid for the refugee families housed in schools. Many families returned to their home villages. According to residents in Kombolcha, they were forced to do so by the rebels.

After the recapture of the region by the Ethiopian army in December 2021, Menschen für Menschen resumes its emergency aid in the region – around the town of Dessie, 3998 IDPs in four camps are in urgent need of food, hygiene items and medicine.

 

PROJECT GOAL
n the town of Kombolcha we save 4,614 war refugees from malnutrition and hunger. Especially young children need help now to prevent any developmental disorder. Therefore, we bring emergency aid to the needy in the city.

THE PROJECT

Together with our local partners from the non-governmental organisation “Support for Sustainable Development” (SSD), we procure and distribute 2,853 emergency aid packages to 951 families. The distribution takes place in coordination with a “task force” of the local authorities. In total, around 4,614 people are benefiting from the action, including a very large number of young children. A total of three emergency distributions will be carried out initially: In October, November and December 2021, the families will each receive around 73 kilograms of maize flour, two litres of cooking oil, as well as soaps, detergents and cooking utensils in the middle of each month. The women will also receive washable sanitary napkins.

The Problem

In every war, the innocent civilian population suffers the most: poor families are victims of the fighting between the Ethiopian army and the “Tigray People’s Liberation Front ” (TPLF). Their fighters have invaded parts of the neighbouring region of Amhara. As a result, many families have fled their villages. Around 15,500 IDPs are stranded in the town of Kombolcha. Two thirds of them have found shelter with the local population. The rest have been quartered in eight schools in the most cramped conditions. In each classroom, 25 to 35 people are accommodated without any privacy. Initially, the refugees were provided for by the generous citizens of the town. But their resources have been exhausted. Now, especially the youngest children are threatened with malnutrition and developmental health problems.

Project Information

  • Activities:
    – Procurement of relief goods
    – Transport of the goods to the town of Kombolcha
    – Distribution of relief goods to families
    – Follow-up of the situation
  • Target group: 4,614 IDPs
  • Region: Kombolcha, South Wollo, Amhara
  • Partner: SSD
  • Duration: Oct. to Dec. 2021

Project Goal