Household supplies help families after the floods

Ethiopia | 2023 | CBPF 

Ethiopia, Dollo Ado region. Iadan, 55, is a mother of seven who lives in the town of Dollo Ado in the Somali region, sharing a small house with her husband and seven children.

“We rely on my husband’s income as a day labourer. Some days we have enough, and others we struggle to make ends meet.”

Iadan’s family is one of the thousands who were affected by the recent flooding in Dollo Ado. Iadan and her family had to move to a nearby school when floodwaters engulfed their home.

The El Niño-induced floods during the Deyr/Hageya (October-December) rainy season affected approximately 1.5 million people in the south and southeastern parts of Ethiopia, including the Somali, South Ethiopia, Southwest Ethiopia, and Oromia regions.   

“During the flood, I kept all my children safe. We weathered the flood together,” explains Iadan.

The family stayed there in the school for two months until the waters subsided.

The first days in the shelter were incredibly challenging. “We didn’t have anything with us, but, eventually, help arrived.” With Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund support, Save the Children distributed kits with household essentials like mattresses, blankets, and cooking materials. “These supplies helped us,” says Iadan.

As the family returned home, they faced more challenges: the waters had destroyed most of the house. “Day by day, we rely on whatever daily work we can find,” says Iadan. “But we have turned the flood into an opportunity by planting maize in our garden – we hope it’s a step towards more income.”

More information about the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund 

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