26-02-2021 | di COOPI

Eastern Sudan, humanitarian assistance to ethiopian refugees with AICS

The conflict that erupted in November 2020 in the Ethiopian region of Tigray is at the root of an alarming humanitarian emergency, which has involved not only the areas affected by the clashes, but also neighboring regions.

The eastern states of Sudan, Kassala and Gedaref, have seen the influx of thousands of refugees fleeing destruction and hunger. In a few weeks, several tens of thousands of men, women and children passed the frontier at the Hamdayet crossing point to find refuge at the Border Reception Center of the same name, coordinated by UNHCR and the Sudanese Refugee Commission (COR), and were then gradually relocated to the three camps in Gedaref: Village 8, Um Rakuba and Tunaydibah.

In Hamdayet COOPI is present with several interventions funded by AICS (Italian Development Cooperation Agency), in particular in the response to the floods that hit the region in 2020 with activities aimed at improving access to water for domestic, agricultural and pastoral use; the creation of new sustainable income opportunities based on drought resilient agricultural practices; increasing knowledge of proper sanitation practices in rural contexts and improving community response capacity.

Thanks in particular to the project "Emergency initiative to improve access to water and food security, management of natural resources and environmental protection in the state of Kassala" financed by AICS, COOPI has been able to respond to the emergency right from the start, focusing in particular on the drinking water needs of the population hosted in the reception center, while at the same time ensuring adequate access to this fundamental resource to the villagers as well.