The Oromia Regional State, where Borena zone is located, is the largest and most populated region of Ethiopia. Over 80% of the people in the region rely on subsistence rain-fed agriculture or pastoralism or a mix of both with low productivity and high sensitivity to rainfall fluctuations. Due to poor seasonal performances, a total of 3,244,092 people require food assistance for a period of six months starting from January 2018. In addition, conflict around resources, water and grazing land have been common along the 1,400 km long border of Oromia and Somali region. Since 2015, these conflicts have intensified with more frequency. As a result, the region counts more than 622,850 people displaced coming from Oromia Border and Somali region. There is an estimated 115,160 IDPs in Borena. The current food insecurity caused by drought is suspected to be a factor that may have emphasized the conflicts, as resources are limited to meet the needs.

The ongoing protracted drought in the South-East of Oromia compounded by displacements resulted in the shortage and poor quality of water, crops failure, decreased household income and in turn resulted in high malnutrition cases, school dropouts, low availability of pasture and animal feed, early and unusual migration of herders, and significant livestock deaths (over 379,000 heads of livestock died, corresponding to 27-30% of livestock population of the Borena Zone). As per the current FEWS NET information, the whole Borena zone is projected to be in IPC 3 (crisis) for the period January – May 2018. For agro-pastoralist areas of the Southeast, the good performance of several consecutive rainy seasons would be needed to support the rebuilding of productive assets. During the displacements, most of the livelihood assets (mainly small ruminants mostly owned and nurtured by women) and belongings of IDPs were lost. The ability of IDPs to cover basic food needs on their own is reduced and a large proportion of households cannot afford the cost of the minimum food basket and basic needs. They are forced to resort to coping mechanisms related to food (e.g. consuming less food or skipping meals), thus affecting health and nutrition status, especially for women, adolescent girls, children, old people and people with disabilities.

Expected Results

ER1: Improved nutritional status of under five children and pregnant and lactating women through detection and treatment of acute malnutrition among host communities and IDPs in the project targeted woredas.

ER2: Improved access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices for IDP and host community beneficiaries in the project targeted woredas.

ER3: Increased ability of IDP households to meet nutritional and other basic needs through enhanced purchasing power to access markets in the target woredas.