Emergency Shelter NFI response for IDPs and host communities  living in Guba Woreda, Metekel zone and Mana Sibu and Leta Sibu Woredas, West Wolega zone It has been more than one year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ethiopia adding another layer of complexity to the already complex humanitarian context. According to Humanitarian Response Plan Ethiopia (HRP) 2021, COVID-19 has also slowed the country’s economic rate to 3.71 per cent down from the projected 10 per cent growth rate for 2020. As a result, the number of people requiring food and non-food assistance had already doubled from 7 million to 15.1 million by mid-2020.
On the heels of continuing inter-ethnic conflicts, climatic shocks, a severe desert locust infestation, drought and the recent military confrontations between the Federal Government and the armed forces of Tigray regions have created an alarming political tension with adverse humanitarian consequences. According to UNOCHA, access snap shoot East and West Oromia, 2021, over 50,000 IDP returnees living in boundary areas between West Wellega and Kamashi are out-of-reach to aid partners intermittently, hence the situation in West Wollega is precarious. An estimated 18,000 people remain secondary displaced in a vulnerable situation due to very limited access to aid.

On the other hand, according to UNOCHA Flash Update No. 2, security in Metekel Zone has been gradually deteriorating since 2019, and more intensely so in recent months, prompting the federal Government of Ethiopia to declare a State of Emergency in Metekel Zone on 21 January. Since July 2020, attacks by unidentified armed groups (UAGs) have cumulatively displaced 150,000 people in Bullen, Dangur, Dibate, Guba, Mandura and Wombera woredas, representing over 30 per cent of the total population of Metekel Zone, which was about 479,162 people, as per 2007 census. According to Metekel zonal DRM office, currently Guba woreda is the most affected woreda where the displaced communities are left without basic humanitarian aid. Majority of the IDPs are living in collective sites like schools and are without basic shelter and housing. Most vulnerable people are living in collective sites that are sub-standard for shelter.

ANE aiming at saving lives of conflicted affected people and proposing this specific project. Hence, the objectives of this project are to ensure access to life-saving shelter amp NFIs for 640 affected IDP and  host community HHs at Guba woreda  and to provide Cash for house rent assistance to 1,234 affected IDP and host community HHs at Mana Sibu and Leta Sibu Woredas. During beneficiary targeting, the shelter cluster beneficiary selection and targeting guideline will be used while the most vulnerable community group including child-headed household, the separated child in need of shelter, Children at risk, female-headed household, elders, and people with underlying chronic illness, a large family with more dependence with no alternative livelihoods will get the priority. The project will strictly follow and adhere COVID-19 specific beneficiary’s targeting, registration, and distribution operation procedure to mitigate the outbreak. For the Cash based intervention in West Wollega, market assessment for house rental service will be conducted at the biggening of the project. Post-distribution monitoring assessment will also be conducted for both ESNFI and Cash distribution using shelter cluster standard tools. However, to minimize the duplication of effort at the woreda level, ANE will coordinate with National and sub-national clusters and with different stakeholders who are working at the project implementation woredas. Besides, to minimize the risks of protection and GBV for the beneficiaries during targeting, registration, and assistance delivery, ANE will provide PSEA and GBV training to the government’s staff and targeting committees. The Guba ESNFI assistance project will be a six-month project while the Wollega cash for rent project period will last for nine months.

To undertake the above-mentioned activities, a total of 330