From Help to Hope: Our Aid in Ethiopia

Abebech Kaito, a mom of 9, is a farmer in southern Ethiopia. Her life revolves around agriculture. Due to a recent drought in her village, Balbale, she lost her cattle. She also lost most of her belongings due to flooding and consequently ended up empty-handed. 

Our team selected her to benefit from our work to get her back on her feet. We donated the things she needed for her home – mattress, ropes, sheets, blankets, cups etc. “It was really helpful,” she says while showing the items received from us.

We were able to support Abebech because of generous funding provided by the US people through USAID´s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. In 2023, in the Konso Zone, we supported shelter equipment for 700 households and 500 households received items/equipments connected to hygiene and sanitation.

We have supported thousands of people like Abebech. We have provided life-saving humanitarian assistance and aid which is vital to helping Ethiopians in their daily lives.

With a population of approximately 110 million, Ethiopia is still challenged with multiple natural and man-made calamities. The country is affected by armed conflict, climate shocks, and disease outbreaks.

Subsequently, the need to diversify humanitarian assistance weighs heavily on our colleagues in the country. They put a lot of effort into saving the most vulnerable citizens of this country. The 2023 Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) seeks $3.99 billion to address the key humanitarian needs in the country. It plans to reach 20.1 million people across the country, including an estimated 4.6 million internally displaced people (IDPs). Additionally, the plan shows that 13 million people in drought-prone areas still need humanitarian aid. According to OCHA, 2.1 Million people need food assistance, and 4.4 Million need multi-sectoral non-food assistance.

All these challenges are being addressed thanks to the tremendous support of the international humanitarian community, which is dedicated to reducing the crisis in Ethiopia. People in Need has already been working in Ethiopia for 20 years. Our team of around 200 is running dozens of projects throughout the country. Currently, we provide humanitarian aid in southern Ethiopia.

We also work on several development projects, such as: supporting employment in the leather sector, focusing on natural resource management, providing people with clean drinking water, ensuring hygiene and sanitation, educating marginalised girls and improving the education system in Ethiopia.

Bereketab Asfaw is an emergency engineer who has worked for PIN Ethiopia for one and a half years. He is committed to making a difference in people's lives. “I found joy in doing my work very well because I know it enables PIN staff to carry on with their daily duties toward creating a better future and assisting vulnerable communities. And working for the emergency team gives me inspiration and motivation that I am part of making a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities who needs support. I believe there is a need to provide humanitarian aid to people in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is facing a humanitarian crisis due to multiple factors, such as drought, conflict, disease, and displacement. Humanitarian aid can help the people of Ethiopia in many ways. It can save lives and alleviate suffering by providing them with food, water, health, nutrition, protection, and shelter. It can also support the resilience and recovery of affected communities by helping them restore their livelihoods, access basic services, and cope with shocks and stresses,” he adds.

In Ethiopia, still more people need our help to alleviate their food insecurity, malnutrition, access to clean water and prevent disease outbreaks. And Ethiopia still needs the attention of many kind-hearted people around the globe.