Cash assistance helps displaced communities in Ethiopia

Ethiopia | 2023 | CBPF

Ethiopia, Somali region. Communal conflict has twice displaced Nimo and her family. The conflict, which flares up between two clans quite often, results in displacement, destruction of livelihoods and even death.

In 2018, Nimo and her family were forced to flee their home in Jina’sani (Chinaksen), leaving behind the family farm that had provided them with a stable livelihood.

Fleeing on foot, Nimo and her family left everything behind. After a perilous journey, they arrived at the Qoloji displacement camp in Fafan Zone, which hosts over 16,000 households and is the largest displacement camp in the Somali Region.

Without a home and away from the farm, the family struggled. “Seeking a better situation, they were once again displaced and moved to Tuli town displacement camp in Tuliguled Woreda, north of Jigjiga city, the Somali regional capital. In Tuli, they received limited assistance, like occasional food aid and plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, but they were living in extremely difficult conditions.

“We used to share the most basic household items with our neighbours who also had very little. We would wait for them to finish cooking and then use their pots and plates,” explains Nimo. “We tried to borrow some items from shop owners in the town, but they do not trust you when you are an IDP and do not have any resources or money.”  

Under the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund, an emergency shelter project run by ZOA provided cash assistance to over 1,400 households, enabling them to purchase essential household supplies.

Nimo said that she used the money to buy pots, plates, cups and other essentials. “I don’t have to go round to our neighbour and beg for her pot or cups now – I have a feeling of freedom.”

More information about the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund

OCHA – POOLED FUNDS DATA HUB – By Country (unocha.org)