Lifesaving Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items Response for El-Nino Affected IDPs Ethiopia is experiencing one of the worst drought in decades. In addition to the effects of drought due to El Nino, there is a high risk of La Nina related flooding according to the Humanitarian Requirements Document (HRD) projection for internal displacement. When people are forced to move in search of water and pasture due to drought, there is a high likelihood for resource-based competition and conflict resulting in secondary displacements.

According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), from August to December 2015, 218,492 individuals were internally displaced as a result of El Niño. Of these, 133,074 were displaced due to drought, 32,390 due to resource-based competition as a result of drought-induced displacement, and 53,028 due to flooding.

The 2016 HRD projects 10.2 million people to be affected in drought and flood prone areas, with 821,472 potential new internally-displaced persons (IDPs) over the course of 2016 representing 149,359 households (HHs) at an average of 5.5 persons per household.

Of the 218,492 persons internally displaced as a result of El Niño, 80,563 persons were able to return to their homes – primarily those affected by flooding – leaving 137,929 in a situation of increasingly protracted internal displacement. The vast majority of those who were displaced due to drought and resource-based competition remain displaced, with severe lack of shelter materials and non-food items. The regions most affected by El Nino as of December 2015 were Somali Region (125,136 IDPs), Afar Region (61,866 IDPs) and Oromia Region (31,490 IDPs).

This project aims to address the Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ES/NFI) needs of El Nino affected IDPs in Ethiopia, as an ES/NFI Cluster response in coordination with the following cluster members: the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). 

Based on IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the ES/NFI Cluster identified 16,783 HHs in need of ES/NFI assistance in the last quarter of 2015. Taking into account the 149,359 HHs projected under the HRD, a total of 166,142 HHs are projected to be in need of emergency assistance in 2016. Taking into account the current stock and response of the ES/NFI cluster members (6,778 most vulnerable HHs), as well the planned response in mid-2016 from other pledged sources of funding (28,000 most vulnerable HHs), the ES/NFI Cluster faces a 78% funding gap for 128,275 HHs.

Of the projected 128,275 HHs in need, 41,491 HHs are in need of immediate assistance as of February 2016. This project will provide life-saving ES/NFI assistance, including dignity kits, to 3012 HHs (not including the dignity kits) prioritizing displacement directly related to the drought. In addition, the project will support the continued DTM activities undertaken by IOM to maintain an updated picture of new displacements resulting from the drought and strengthening information sharing between ES/NFI cluster members and other humanitarian partners.

NRC will be working directly in distributing the NFI and dignity kits, while IOM will work with ERCS as an implementing partner in 7 regions (Somali, Afar, Oromia, Gambella, SNNPR, Amhara and Tigray), making use of ERCS’s wide geographical coverage and capacity. IRC and NRC will directly implement the project in 7 regions (Somali, Afar, Oromia, Gambella, SNNPR, Amhara and Tigray) and 4 regions (Somali, Oromia, Gambella, Tigray) respectively.