30-07-2024 | di COOPI

Ethiopia. Resilience in the face of climate shocks: strengthening communities and internally displaced persons in Dolo Ado and Dolo Bay

The Somali Region of Ethiopia is currently experiencing the most drastic impacts of climate change. Historically affected by drought, in recent years the area has been increasingly exposed to severe flooding, with dramatic consequences for its agropastoral communities. The districts of Dolo Ado and Dolo Bay, where COOPI is operating, have been particularly hit by the overfloods of the Dawa and Ganale rivers, causing several losses and damages to livestock, infrastructure, assets, and crop areas, and have forced thousands of families to displace to safer areas. In this context, through the project “Good Practices for Resilience Directed to Drought Emergency Management in the Somali Regional State (BRIDGE)”, financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale and its partners CISP and CUAMM are working to mitigate the impacts of climate shocks and enhance the resilience of the affected communities.

Since April 2023, the project has been supporting both internally displaced persons and host communities through an integrated multisectoral approach addressing the most urgent needs in terms of water access, hygiene and food security. Currently, COOPI is finalizing the excavation of two new hand-dug wells equipped with solar-powered pumps along the Dawa river, which are expected to grant access to safe water to at least 7800 people. In parallel, 450 female – headed households received non-food items kits including water treatment chemicals, blankets, mosquito nets, plastic mats, kitchen sets, 20 and 10-liter jerry cans, plastic ropes, washing basins, hand-washing jugs with basin sets, laundry soaps, body soaps, kettles, and 100-kg hessian bags.

On the other hand, COOPI has been supporting the agropastoral communities of both Dolo Ado and Dolo Bay in strengthening their traditional livelihood, challenged by the effects of drought. Among other activities, COOPI field staff has provided voucher-based livestock treatment and vaccination, reaching 400 households which are now able to prevent loss of livestock to diseases and death, and therefore maintain their main source of livelihood. At the same time, 500 households have received agricultural inputs and quality seeds and other 400 households were reached through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance.

COOPI has been present in Ethiopia since 1995, providing development and humanitarian assistance with a multi-sectoral and integrated approach to the most vulnerable groups, such as internally displaced persons, who fled due to conflicts and/or shocks coming from climate change. Today, COOPI managed to create synergies between various projects tackling the impact of climate shocks in Ethiopia. In order to face the unprecedented flooding that affected Dolo Ado in October 2023, causing the displacement of thousands of people, an IRC-funded project was activated as a Rapid Response Mechanism. Moreover, a new AICS-funded project titled “RISE: Integrated and Inclusive Response to the Drought Emergency in the Somali Region of Ethiopia through WASH, Health, Nutrition and MPCA interventions” has recently started in the same area, and will allow COOPI to continue the support to the communities of Somali Region.