OCHA Situation Report
Ethiopia
5 November 2004


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

MISSION TO ASSESS RESETTLEMENT SITES IN OROMIYA REGION

UN and Regional/Federal Government agencies will undertake a joint 
humanitarian situation assessment in resettlement areas of Oromiya Region 
from 9 to 26 November. The mission will assess the overall situation with 
particular attention to issues of humanitarian concern and will also 
determine the effectiveness of past assistance provided by UN agencies. So 
far, around 265 thousand people were resettled in the region.

SOMALI REGION UPDATE

Following rainfall reports from last week, parts of Somali Region have 
continued to receive Deyr rains. Gode Zone and Adadle district of Warder 
Zone have reportedly received rain over the last few days, while rains 
were also reported in Kalafo and Charati districts of Afder Zone. The 
current Deyr rains, which started two weeks later than expected, are 
needed to improve pasture and water conditions in parts of the region. 
However, concerns of poor rainfall persist in some areas, particularly in 
Boh and Geladin districts of Warder and Gashamo district of Dagahbur Zone 
which remains dry. The NGO Hope for the Horn working in the area reports 
emergency assistance in food, water and health is urgently needed. The 
most vulnerable it reports are suffering from malnutrition and diarrhea. 
The Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) is considering 
conducting a rapid assessment in areas of concern.

RELIEF FOOD STATUS

Overall emergency requirements for Ethiopia in November and December 
stands at 70,000 tonnes and 57,000 tonnes respectively, serving a total 
number of 3.7 and 2.8 million beneficiaries. October allocations are 
currently being dispatched to the various regions, where a food basket 
containing cereals, pulses, vegetable oil will be distributed to the 
beneficiary population. Fortified blended food (corn soya blend) is 
targeted to the worst-affected districts for blanket distributions to 
particularly vulnerable groups or to malnourished children and women where 
nutrition screening exists. In the Southern Nations and Nationalities 
People Region (SNNPR), 43 out of 49 districts with ongoing food 
distributions received targeted supplementary food from WFP in support of 
the UNICEF/Bureau of Health Extended Outreach Strategy for Child Survival 
Initiatives in October. The 6 remaining districts have access problems for 
the transporters and are in the process of receiving food. The WFP 
activity provides a three-month fortified supplementary food ration to 
children between 6-59 months old and pregnant and nursing women identified 
as malnourished. The pilot ten districts have received supplementary 
rations for the second time since the programme started in mid-2004.

WFP'S REFUGEE PROGRAMME IN GAMBELLA SEVERELY UNDER FUNDED

WFP reports the refugee programme in Gambella Region is severely 
under-funded and is projected to run out of food stocks in March 2005 
unless additional donor pledges are confirmed by the end of November 2004. 
In spite of the relocation earlier this year, WFP continued to provide 
food assistance to refugees in Gambella and Dimma through its Government 
counterpart, the Administration for Refugees and Returnee Affairs (ARRA).

RECENT VISITS TO ETHIOPIA

USAID Assistant Administrator, Roger Winter, will visit Ethiopia, Somali 
and Gambella Regions to assess the current situation starting 6 November. 
In addition the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation/Humanitarian 
Aid Desk Officer, Ms. Segolene Adam will be visiting Ethiopia, 6-11 
November. The mission will assess the humanitarian situation in the 
eastern parts of the country.

CRS/ET ADOPTS NEW APPROACH

Catholic Relief Services/Ethiopia (CRS/ET) has begun implementation of a 
Livelihoods approach in all its operational areas which recognises that 
the poor are managers of complex asset portfolios. It looks at diversities 
of people's income, skills, access to financial and physical resources and 
services.  The approach provides development agents and communities a 
means to define their overall livelihood strategies given their specific 
resources.  This framework can serve as a guide to micro-policies 
concerned with poverty reduction in rural areas as well as identifying 
macro-policy issues, which contribute towards household and community 
impoverishment. In Dire Dawa, a Livelihood Training Workshop was conducted 
for CRS/ET and Ethiopian Catholic Church staff. A Livelihood study was 
also conducted that will be used as a learning tool to determine a 
practical way in which the new approach can lead to the empowerment of 
communities through the development of action plans.

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