OCHA Situation Report
Ethiopia
17 December 2004


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

IDPs IN MEISSO REQUEST FOR FOOD AID

Following the recent referendum to determine the administrative status of 
contested kebeles in Oromiya and Somali Region, 2,600 victims of 
inter-ethnic conflict from Bike Town are currently living as IDPs in 
Meisso Town. CARE Ethiopia sent an assessment team to the area at the 
request of the Zonal Administration, which reported that the IDPs were 
living in deplorable conditions on the soccer field in the centre of town, 
50 meters from the livestock market, with no food, water, shelter, 
blankets or latrines. No assistance had been given to them other than 39 
ten person Red Cross tents which had been donated the week after their 
arrival, along with 2.5 MTs of wheat and a water trailer which is now 
empty. The site is on a flood plain and night-time temperatures have 
dropped as low as seven degrees. CARE in consultation with the Zonal and 
Woreda Administrators and USAID is addressing the immediate needs. The 
camp is being relocated, pit latrines dug, two roto tankers placed at the 
site are receiving water daily, and blankets, jerry cans, wood and 
charcoal, sleeping mats and soap have been purchased to meet their 
immediate needs for a month. OFDA has released 52 MTs of maize, oil, 
pulses and CSB to distribute to these IDPs in two half-monthly rounds of 
distribution in the next month. Concerns remain regarding shelter and the 
inadequate health clinic service. CARE, International Medical Corps (IMC), 
Federation of Red Cross Society (FRCS) and Ethiopian Red Cross Society 
(ERCS) are closely monitoring the situation in order to alleviate the 
problems and an OCHA field officer accompanied by Oromiya DPPB is also 
assessing the situation. ocha-eth@un.org

REGIONAL CLARIFICATION WORKSHOP ON MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS IN 
AGRICULTURE

FAO organized a regional clarification workshop on Multilateral Trade 
Negotiations on Agriculture to the member countries of Common Market for 
Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) and Southern African Development 
Community (SADC) from 13 to 16 December 2004 at the African Union. The 
focus was on national capacity building on World Trade Organizations (WTO) 
Agreements affecting food and agricultural trade. This activity is being 
organized as part of the FAO Umbrella II Programme of support to member 
countries for multilateral trade negotiations related to agriculture. For 
more information contact:  fao-ethiopia@fao.org

JOINT ACTION PLANS LAUNCHED FOR CHILDREN

The Government of Ethiopia, together with key partners including UNICEF, 
launched the National Plan of Action for Children and Action Plan for 
Orphans and Vulnerable Children on 13 December 2004.  Ethiopia has an 
estimated 4.6 million orphans, close to half a million of whom have been 
orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The Plan of Action carries forward the commitments 
made at the Special Session for Children in May 2002 as articulated in the 
document "A World Fit for Children." The Ethiopian Plan of Action for 
Children is designed to place the interests of children at the forefront 
of development policies and strategies.  Promoting healthy lives, 
providing quality education, protecting children from abuse, exploitation 
and violence, and combating HIV/AIDS are the four major areas identified 
in the Action Plan. For more information contact: igetachew@unicef.org

USA ALLOCATES 20 MLN FOR PC3 PROGARMME

Save the Children USA in collaboration with CARE, World Vision, World 
Learning, Family Health International and Hope for the Africa Child 
Initiative launched a new nationwide programme on 15 December 2004. 
Positive Change: Children, Communities and Care (PC3) is a five-year $20 
million project funded by the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 
designed to reach 500,000 children throughout Ethiopia. With capacity 
building as its foundation, PC3 will strengthen Ethiopian civil society to 
strengthen community capacity to respond to orphans and vulnerable 
children. For more information contact: 
ussave.children@savechildren.org.et

FHI LAUNCHES A DRY RATION SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMME IN FAFEN IDP CAMPS

Food for the Hungry International (FHI) in cooperation with Mother Child 
Development Organization (MCDO) launched a dry ration supplementary 
feeding programme in the Fafen IDP camp in Somali Region in December 2004. 
With a $ 34,000 donation from World Concern, FHI was able to purchase dry 
ration support including famix, sugar, and oil for 780 children under five 
as well as lactating mothers and pregnant women. Plastic shelters were 
also distributed to 500 households. For more information contact: 
fhi.eth@telecom.net.et

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