Communities in Ethiopia and Somalia say, “If we had not received aid when the cyclone hit us, we would not have survived.” How did we do it? By listening to what they had to say. 60% of people feel that CARE took their opinion into account when we designed the project. And we were quick to re-design when changes happened.
Survival isn’t all—communities also feel that they can plan more for the future. “The emergency aid improved my livelihood, because when my family received different food items from the NGOs, I was able to increase my savings.”
The Dutch Relief Alliance Horn of Africa Joint Response ran in 2018 in Ethiopia and Somalia with $430,000 from the Dutch Relief Alliance. It reached 32,134 people directly and 37,474 indirectly.
What did we accomplish?
- People got more food: 28,214 people got cash or food assistance—enough to last for 6 months.
- People got clean water: Communities told us that the support for clean water was the most important piece. 28,149 people got either water filters or clean water points so they could drink safe water. One person even noted, “Diseases have been reduced, money was saved.”
- Communities were satisfied with the response: 100% of participants were satisfied with the work on health, 99% with water services, and 91% with the cash support.
- Families are more resilient: 57% of participants (18,316 people) said that this project will help them cope with shocks in the future. Getting support now helped them build savings and a safety net in case there are later disasters. According to one woman: “The food security initiative addressed my needs because the money I would have used on rice became my savings instead.”
- CARE listened: 60% of people feel that CARE took their opinion into account when designing the project.
How did we get there?
- Work with local partners: The project worked with well-established local partners like ICCO, SOS Kinderdorpen, and Dorcus that communities trusted and could ramp up response quickly.
- Put communities in charge: The project worked with community committees that had both men and women representatives to select project recipients.
- Focus on water: The project provided filters, re-built wells, and had trainings about water and hygiene so communities could have safe water. People felt that this was the most useful part of the project.
- Be flexible: When a cyclone unexpectedly hit one of the target areas in May 2018, the project-redesigned its approach in that community to meet the new needs. “If we had not received aid when the cyclone hit us, we would not have survived.”
Want to learn more?
Read the evaluation.
Special thanks
CARE was the prime implementer on this project, and worked with World Vision, Save the Children, SOS Kinderdorpen, ZOA, and Dorcus.