Provision of Life Saving Assistance through Health, Nutrition, and Protection for Conflict-Affected Populations in Liben and Goro Dola Woredas, Guji Zone, Oromia Region As Ethiopia continues to face extreme humanitarian conditions with the combined complexity of ongoing conflict, increased insecurity, climatic shocks, disease outbreaks, desert locusts, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that communities have access to essential services to manage these multiple crises. This is particularly critical for at-risk communities such as women, children, older people, people with disabilities, and those affected by chronic diseases - and is compounded for displaced communities. 

The ongoing conflict makes these groups highly vulnerable to protection risks, malnutrition, and disease. To combat these risks, Mercy Corps will provide multi-sectoral life-saving assistance to conflict-affected populations, integrating Health, Nutrition, and Protection services - placing protection at the center alongside other critical health and nutrition activities to meet the needs of at-risk populations. The project will reach 28,846 of the most vulnerable people in areas of high need including Liben and Goro Dola woredas of Guji Zone, Oromia region.  Targeted populations include vulnerable IDPs, returnees and host communities. All IDPs in the targeted woreda are highly vulnerable to COVID-19 and other communicable diseases (cholera, measles, malaria) and acute malnutrition as well as protection-related risks linked to the ongoing conflict and state of displacement. 

Proposed key activities under the protection component include: awareness-raising on protection risks, and MHPSS  trainings on protection principles and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) awareness-raising on gender-based violence (GBV) GBV case management and coordination training for frontline service providers, referral mapping for  GBV survivors and other protection service needs strengthening GBV case management and coordination mechanisms strengthening of the Community Accountability Reporting Mechanism (CARM) for vulnerable community members to report complaints and feedback related to protection and service provision awareness-raising on complaint reporting mechanisms provision of Clinical care for sexual assault survivors training for health service providers establishment of women and girls’ safe space (WGSS) to provide psychosocial support and referral services.


Proposed Activities under the nutrition component include: nutrition screening, outpatient therapeutic program (OTP), targeted supplementary feeding program (TSFP), treatment of complicated SAM cases, and in collaboration with stabilization centers established by MC, Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) training, IYCF counseling and awareness creation.  

Proposed Activities under the health component include: medical consultation and treatments, Antenatal care (ANC), Postnatal care (PNC), family planning, immunization, referral service and awareness creation mainly focusing on COVID-19 prevention, community surveillance and logistic support, and strengthening COVID-19 response efforts.