Emergency Nutrition Support, for Drought Affected  Pastoralist in Gorobakaksa and Guradhamole Woredas of Liben Zones, Somali Region, Ethiopia. Somali Regional State is one of the 9 regional states of Ethiopia. The population of the region is estimated at 5,748,998 (CSA, 2014) out of which 46 percent are females and the remaining 54 percent are males. Somali region is predominantly pastoralists and the livelihood activities are dependent on the natural resource base, and are therefore vulnerable to covariate shocks such as a drought, which undermines crop farming, livestock production, and agricultural labour and herding opportunities.
Ethiopia continues to reel from the impacts of the El Niño-induced drought, the country is facing a new drought affecting lowland areas in southern and eastern parts of the country. This reflects a shift in the areas where acute humanitarian needs are experienced, a change that requires the humanitarian community to review and adjust the presence in order to save lives and livelihoods (HRD, 2017). The HRD has identified 5.6 Million in need of emergency food aid and out of which 1.6 Million are in Somali region.
In Somali region, new admissions of severely malnourished children under-5 (SAM) to therapeutic feeding program sites has increased from 3,817children in December 2016 to 5,996 in January 2017, registering a 56 per cent increase (75 per cent reporting rate). Afder (65 per cent increase), while Doolo (300 per cent increase) and Jarar(600 per cent increase) zones exhibited the highest increase in admission, indicative of the deteriorating food security situation in these areas(UNOCHA, January 2017).
As indicated above Somali region is one of the highly affected regions by the current drought in Ethiopia as a result of the effect of ElNino. This effect is further worsened in Afder Zone as a result of failure of the “Gu” rain. In response to the current drought situation and to further understand the magnitude of the problem the multi-sector rapid need assessment was conducted in October, 2016 comprising experts drawn from regional, Zonal government and non-governmental organizations (Afder Zone Rapid Needs Assessment Somali Regional State, October 2016). The findings indicate that the drought, worsened by ElNino effects, is having a devastating impact in Afder Zone. The below normal and failure of main GU’ rain in between (April- May 2016 had caused the water points to dry up earlier than usual time triggering severe water scarcity, dry pastures. The (2016) main GU rain was characterized late, onset, early cessation, unevenly distribution, limited rainy days, and this had had resulted drought following log dry season June-September. This has resulted in lack of water, poor pasture/scarcity and food scarcity to be prevailing conditions at this moment. 
The latest hotspot classification (December,2016) indicates that all the target Woredas in this project (,Gorobekeksa, and Guradamole) remain hotspot priority one. As a result high rates of malnutrition are observed and the situation might get worsened as the coming rain forecast indicated by (FEWSNET, 2017) is poor. under the PDP-BASES(DFID fund) integrated Health, Nutrition, WASH and Education emergency response programm in Afder and Liben Zones, is going on and WASH response intervention in Chereti Woreda under the ERM funding is under implementation. IRE also intends to expand WASH response intervention to Goro-Bakaksa and Guradhamole woredas. This proposed project will address the emergency Nutrition response needs of drought/ El Niño affected population in  Goro-Bakaksa and Guradhamole Districts of  Liben Zone. The target population for the project is malnourished children and Pregnant and Lactating Women. The intervention includes nutrition support through standard nutrition approach Community Managed Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) response and IYCF-E support and technical and capacity building to District health and Nutrition government staff. The project will be implemented over a period of six months with the support of local government and community.