· Web viewThe organization supported their daily effort with community discussions as well as training and dialogue among religious leaders and clan leaders. A particular assessment

January to December 2019 Activity Report:

Afar Pastoralist Developmentand

Relief Assistance Program: Afar Region

AFAR PASTORALIST DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Field office: Samara, Afar National Regional State telephone: 033 3660058/60

Liaison office: P.O. Box 259 code 1,110,

Addis Ababa. telephone:0911246639

email: [email protected] website: www.apda-ethiopia.org

January to December 2019 Afar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 1

http://www.apdaethiopia.org/

mailto:[email protected]

Activity Report: Afar Pastoralist Development and

Relief Assistance Program, Afar Region

1. Executive SummaryAPDA remains the primary organization addressing the needs of the pastoralist community in remote areas at their household base through mobile health and education services; empowering women and girls to secure basic rights while living free from harmful practices; community economic development through microfinance and disaster response linked to livelihood recovery and growth. 2019 was the 26th implementing year of this dynamic program, strategy being built on modeling and adjusting to fit the lifestyle as well as the environment. However, funding challenges emerged in the year that the organization had not previously experienced. With 3 specific development projects coming to an end in June and September respectively, the program lost as many as 76 community health workers, 62 women extension workers and 45 community teachers. All effort to find replacement funding failed leaving the affected remote communities (people unable to reach government services) without primary health, Afar literacy and alternative basic education as well as support end harmful practices. While APDA has maintained contact with these communities heartened that some of the respective community based development workers who had lost employment are struggling on to work voluntarily, there is a clear drop in basic service coverage with some dire consequences, particularly in community maternal health service delivery. As of December 2019, APDA development program is being implemented in some 192 communities in some semblance: of these communities, 45 no longer have basic primary health services. In the now drastically changing world wherein donor agencies no longer support long-term development, APDA continues to seek an alternative for these otherwise marooned communities. Again, to find a way forward is all the more incumbent on APDA since the spiral of downward household food security and livelihood reached an all – time low by mid 2019. Following below average rainfall and food insecurity spiked by food – cost hikes and herd loss with the additional affront of locust infestation from July to November 2019, the program launched appeal to assist both the malnourished humans and their herd under stress of perishing. These projects will hopefully find funding in early 2020.

The highlight of the year was to be able to begin a relation with the community of Bidu on the Eritrean border, a community of some thousands of households that had been cut off from Ethiopia over the past 20 years. APDA first met them in April 2018 discovering the most impoverished and yet enlightened, ‘ready to go’ people. Having been isolated by the Eritrean/ Ethiopia conflict for all these years and cut off from their normal trading route to the Red Sea, they seemed to be barely existing and yet had rallied enough of their own resources to jointly invest in 50 of their children learning in Bidu’s administration town on the asphalt road. In short, these people were chronically malnourished without a real outlet to market either to sell animals or purchase food, thirsty and walking 12 hours to collect water living without any form of social service.From January to September, APDA implemented a nutrition screening treating malnourished people, through 24 – trained community volunteers, introduced disaster risk management to the

Afar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 2

community and opened up awareness on hygiene and sanitation and stopping harmful practices affecting females.The main river feeding a vast grazing forest in Alaab had changed course drying up the forest and any watershed was disappearing down volcanic fissures in the ground. The organization excavated a 7,200m3 dam giving them some relief in distant water collection and supported them to filter water in 350 households taking out both the debris and the harmful coliforms. Since then APDA has gone on to relieve malnutrition and is applying to implement a recovery project re-diverting the river back to its original course, supporting local the emergence of a local economy and water accessibility. Using the approach of its 2019 – 2023 strategy plan, APDA is now strongly looking at how sustainability can be built in to all aspects of the program upholding the needs of the community to develop their own sustainability.

2. Development program location and functionAs of December 2019, the community development team comprised of 89 community health workers; 201 women extension workers and 96 community teachers (additional 40 funded through government contribution to the project in Zone 5) in 211 sites as follows In summary, on a woreda basis, the program implemented the following activities during 2018:Zone Woreda Program component1 Eli Daar 2 sites of women’s empowerment

Dubte 32 rural sites in 4 kebeles: 11 of mobile health, 32 of education and women’s empowerment

Garani 12 sites of mobile health, education and women’s empowermentAfambo 4 kebeles with mobile health servicesMille 10 sites of mobile primary health and women’s empowerment‘Adda’ar 8 sites of mobile primary health and women’s empowermentKori 8 sites of women’s empowerment; 4 education sitesAfambo 4 kebeles of mobile primary health and women’s empowermentSifra 10 sites of mobile primary health; 23 sites of women’s empowerment; 2

education sites2 Bidu 2 kebeles of CMAM support3 Ami-Bara 12 sites of women’s empowerment; 16 government schools with gender clubs

Awash/ Fantale

7 government schools with gender clubs

Gawwaani 7 kebeles of mobile primary health and women’s empowermentGala’alu 12 sites of mobile primary health and women’s empowerment; 8 education

sitesDullassa 10 sites of mobile primary health and women’s empowerment and Afar

education sites; 3 kebeles with mobile primary health4 Awra 13 sites of women’s empowerment; 2 education sites

Uwwa 12 mobile primary health and women’s empowerment and 9 sites of Afar education

Teeru 6 sites of women’s empowerment5 Tallalak 9 sites of Afar education supported by women’s empowerment

Daali Fagi 11 sites of Afar education supported by women’s empowerment


3. APDA’s Newly – defined strategy: 2019 to 2023In a process of facilitation with 4 partner – NGOs in 2018, APDA has launched a strategy based on sustainability and resilience as follows:APDA’s strategic goal/ vision is:

Afar pastoralists have adequate opportunity to enjoy basic human rights and reach their full potential

APDA’s mission is empowering the Afar Society to achieve this visionThe target particularly considers women and youth

The societal goals APDA aims for are as follows:

a) Opportunity of improved livelihood appropriate to their defined need is attainable for targeted Afar pastoralists

b) Afar pastoralist females know and can exercise their basic human rightsc) Afar pastoralist community leadership capable of directing social and economic changed) Development cooperation, government services and policies recognize and appreciate

needs of Afar pastoralists

To achieve this, APDA has the following program goals:

a) Improved access to basic social and economic services in geographically remote areas

b) Food security for target communities achieved through integrated, nutrition-sensitive programming

c) Target communities have increased resilience through their own leadershipd) Development programming appropriate to Afar pastoralist lifestyle

Then, in order to achieve this, APDA has mapped out and undertaking the needed organizational capacity and growth that will enable the above – mentioned planned process.

4. Community Development Program Achievements4.1 Afar literacy and alternative basic educationIn the year, APDA’s education sector continued to be active in 4 areas:

- Afar literacy taught using Dr Enid Parker’s primer books taking a person 6 months to master Afar reading, writing and basic numeracy

- Alternative basic education (ABE) teaching beginning learning from level 1 to level 4 (level 4 was introduced in October 2018)

- Hostel learning for children from remote settings where they have completed ABE that they can continue with the government learning

- Writing, publishing and distribution of Afar books particularly for children’s learning

4.1.1 Afar literacy and ABE learning in the communityHaving lost support for a total of 45 Afar teachers in Magaale, Erebti, Teeru, Guulina and Bargaale and Saha in northern Dubte, student numbers were down by the 3 rd quarter but


proportionately, female participation remained near to 50%. Community development committees in the 93 remaining community - teaching sites took responsibility to contain and manage student drop - outs. With the failure of the winter rains, the 1st quarter of the year proves to be the most challenging.

The program 132 teachers (92 supported through APDA and 40 employed by the government in Zone 5) produced the following results in the year:

Quarter Literacy students

ABE students % of female participation

Literacy Drop-

out

ABE Drop-

out1st – 2019 5,180 3,342 47.5% 111 2632nd – 2019 5,144 3,620 46.8% 107 1663rd – 2019 3,600 2,492 45% 48 1164th – 2019 3,278 2,576 44.64% 57 18

The program remains challenged by the pastoralists’ limited value of education as an essential part of culture but even further challenged by lack of water in teaching sites and food insecurity in many communities in the year.

More and more, Afar literacy is seen as a tool within other projects: supporting behavior change toward stopping harmful practices and improving maternal health; enabling the learners to take up opportunity in micro-finance projects and overall enabling females to become part of the community decision-making.

The importance of females getting every opportunity to learn.

4.1.2 Annual teacher trainingAs in previous years, the facilitators were given upgrading training during the hot months when it is most difficult for classes to learn in 2 training courses: one for literacy teachers and one for those teaching ABE.This year, the program succeeded in getting the Assaita Teachers’ College to train the 60 ABE facilitators in Tallalak and Daali Fagi (3 facilitators per site). The College certified the facilitators at the lower level of facilitation but will again train them in the coming school year grading them up. Ideally, APDA needs to train all its ABE facilitators through the government Teachers’ College.

4.1.3 Supporting students to continue education through hostel livingAPDA continues the hostel facilitation program as begun in 2012 and has a total number of 183 students in 4 hostels, a drop from 204 students in 2014/15. Female student numbers have Afar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 5

dropped back to 15.84%, indicative of the steep challenge for APDA and the actual female student to resist the community insistence of marriage. Of the female students who have dropped out of the program, 3 have returned with their newborn babies to continue education. This is leading APDA to think of more flexible means to make it possible for such girls. Hostel students are generally more study – orientated and therefore do relatively well in class. The following is a breakdown of participation:Beneficiary community Hostel site Total Males FemalesAwra Awra admin town 39 33 6Awra Kalwaan – secondary 15 14 1Uwwa Allale Subla, Uwwa 26 25 1Kutubla- Assaita woreda Assaita town 28 23 5Geega – Dubte Woreda Logya 40 26 14Dagaba – Dubte woreda Logya 10 10Kori Logya 25 23 2Total 183 154 29

Funding for literacy/ non-formal educationThe following organizations support teaching sites:

Bread for the World – 4 sites Kinder Forum in Not – 17 sites. Barbara May Foundation – 20 sites Banyan Tree Foundation – Hostel support for 150 students Individual contribution in support of students Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation: 20 sites Birthing Kits Foundation, Australia – 10 sites Ethiopiaid Australia – 5 sites Respect for Change, Belgium – 12 sites

4.2 Primary health activities

4.2.1 The scope of the programThe APDA primary health program team reduced now to 89 mobile health workers, 201 women extension workers and 910 trained TBAs (5 TBAs per woman extension worker) implements 14 woredas. As of September, the program greatly shrunk, taking away mobile health care from otherwise isolated communities in Teeru, Eli Da’ar, northern Dubte, Afdeera, Erebti and Magaale. Overall coverage has reduced to around 390,000 pastoralists.Linked to the rural health service, APDA implements an emergency referral gynecological and obstetrics hospital, the Barbara May Maternity Hospital in Mille as well as continuing to support waiting areas to operate in 8 government health centers for mothers at risk.

4.2.2 Roles of the rural health teamThe community health workers act as front-line health workers providing immediate basic treatment for acute illness while providing timely health education appropriate to the respective community on a daily basis. They are equipped with very basic medications and refer any complicated case to government health services as possible.Women extension workers do not have medications but act to work in close collaboration with women and children raising awareness; determining the cause of the problem described;


offering counseling and demonstration of improved health. They are particularly interested to promote the stopping of harmful traditional practices that affect reproductive health as well as supporting other project interests such as following up school drop – outs, supporting production and consuming of a diversified diet and encouraging female participation in income generation. They mentor trained TBAs in antenatal checking, clean delivery, postnatal care and work with the health worker to facilitate referrals as needed. Thereby the roles of all 3 are complementary.

4.2.3 Daily services provided in remote communitiesWalking house to house on an allocated route, health workers and women extension workers try to visit each household monthly providing health education, registering pregnant mothers and providing front-line treatment. In the process of their work, they provide their team leader with monthly reports. The data summary depicting service during 2019 is as follows including 2016/ 2018 comparison:

Activity Total assisted in 2019

Comparative of these figures

Comparative with 2018

Comparative with 2016/ 17

Basic treatment 207,299 Diarrhea = 25.49%; Malaria = 15.27% and Chest infection = 14.21% of total morbidity.181 cases of AWD treated in July.

In 2018, Diarrhea = 24.55%; Malaria = 18.74% and Chest infection = 12.18% of total morbidity2,948 cases of AWD were treated

In 2017, Diarrhea = 25.16%; Malaria = 16.88% and Chest infection = 12.22% of total morbidity

Health education from health workers

734,391 WASH awareness: 152,639. AWD was treated in Uwwa in July 2019

WASH awareness including AWD: 250,441

Women extension awareness, demonstrating and counseling

608,672 Supporting stopping FGM: 25,049 people assistedProblems of marriage and stopping early marriage: 26,426 women assistedRights and stopping gender-based violence: 24,610 people discussed withFemale rights to education: 31,296 people informedFemale involvement with IGA: 25,086 women assisted

Awareness and counseling to stop FGM: 29,290 people assistedOn early marriage and marriage problems, 36,971 were assisted.Stopping gender-based violence through awareness and care reached 35,175 women

Births assisted in the home

4,573 Of these, 24 were maternal deaths; 51 newborn deaths and 20 stillbirths

5,454 In 2016/ 17, 6,384/ 8,392 deliveries were assisted/ referred of which 30/ 22 were maternal deaths; 90/ 32 newborn deaths and 18/ 22 stillbirths

Referred deliveries: to health centers

1,435 1,661

In hospitals 515 2,066Antenatal checking to the home

7,406 Comparatively, ANC continues to rise

9,545 This year is higher than 2017 – 8,741 and 2016 – 8,383

Postnatal checking/ care

4,988 6,722 This is comparative to 2017/16: 6,826/ 6,139


The health team has again done what they can to contribute to the Afar Region’s vaccination coverage. In Teeru and Afdeera, the team completed 4 rounds of all 10 child - antigens covering 2,460 under 1 year olds with pentavalent 3 and, in these districts as well as northern Dubte, vaccinating a total of 6,003 children under 5 years. Mobile cold-chains supported these campaigns whereby a refrigerator powered by generator, taking vaccines deeper into the community with ice – boxes on camels and from there, health workers taking vaccines house to house in vaccine carriers.From January to June, a health team conducted nutrition screening and treatment of malnourished under 5 year olds and pregnant/ lactating mothers in Alaab and Moggoros in Bidu.Having found that household – level portable water filter units work well in Teeru, Sawyer filters were installed for 350 households in Alaab, Bidu and for 400 households in Garani (Kutubla). These were particularly communities subject to drinking contaminated water.

4.2.4 Barbara May Maternity Hospital, MilleSupported by its namesake Foundation, the hospital has now been active for 8 years. Following on from 2018, a project to improve the services of the hospital was completed providing a new ambulance, solar paneling to overcome electricity shortage, hospital extensions so that there are now 35 inpatient beds and improvements of the laboratory facilities. The hospital is now ready to open a mini blood bank that blood for transfusion is more readily available. With separate inpatient and outpatient buildings, the twice - weekly antenatal and gynecological clinics are providing a wide range of services as needed in reproductive health. During the year, the Ethiopian obstetrician and gynecologist was unsupported until the 4 th quarter when the volunteer doctor who has assisted the hospital form the outset returned from leave. The hospital team includes 19 nurses and midwives, 2 laboratory technicians, one anesthetist and one pharmacist.

Hasna, thrilled to be alive after her life was saved having had a ruptured uterus

In the year, the following services were given:

a) In-patient services:Obstetrics

- 516 deliveries of which 54 were cesarean section (10.46% of the deliveries) and 6 were assisted deliveries. The outcome of this was 1 maternal death (she had a


ruptured uterus and had bled 3 liters of blood into the abdomen); 2 newborn deaths and 19 stillbirths.

o 38 mothers had eclampsia; o 7 mothers delivered babies with hydrocephalus or anencephaly. o 54 mothers required blood transfusion.

Gynecology Overall, 672 inpatient gynecology cases were treated with patient stay from 2 days to 6 weeks.Surgical Cases included:

- 68 FGM repairs- 66 prolapsed uterus repairs- 15 fistula repairs

Medical cases included 4 rape cases; 132 cases of urinary tract infection; 49 cases of maternal malaria; 25 cases of retained urine; 8 cases of uterine/ cervical cancer.

b) Outpatient services:A total of 1,584 1st – visit antenatal care was seen; 480 second visit; 440 third visit and 129 fourth visit were seen. 2,040 patients passed through the gynecology outpatients.

c) Laboratory testing:All patients (in and outpatients) in the hospital are tested for HIV and hepatitis B. 132 women were found hepatitis B positive compared to 14 women having a positive HIV response. The hospital vaccinates newborn babies from affected hepatitis B mothers.Colposcopy to detect early cervical cancer is offered through the outpatients along with immediate treatment of suspected cases.

Again, there has been a drop in the number of caesarian sections performed in comparison to all deliveries but there was a rise in the number of mothers coming in with ruptured uteruses as well as advanced cases of eclampsia.

4.2.5 Waiting areas from mothers at riskHaving completed the project in Magaale, Erebti, Afdeera and Teeru, the number of waiting areas supported dropped to 5: Gawwaani, Gala’alu, Adda’ar, Sifra, Uwwa, through training the center manager in Barbara May Maternity Hospital, providing a monthly salary top-up and constructing Afar – style houses in the respective health center for the mother to stay in supported by a local women’s cooperative.

4.2.6 Rural and hospital health team trainingAs in other years, all sectors of the rural health team participated in annual refresher training: health workers and women extension took 30 days training and TBAs, 10 days training. Training included refreshment learning; updating on government protocols; as well as 3 modules of training on ‘helping babies breathe’, ‘essential care of the newborn and the underweight baby’ and helping mothers survive’, the latter regarding maternal bleeding. These training modules have been taken on as part of the program from being initially specific to a training course to improve midwifery training in Samara University.

4.2.7 Campaign to stop harmful practices affecting reproductive healthAs mentioned above, APDA’s women extension workers are particularly assigned as agents of change within their respective community to lead the effort to stop all traditional practices that Afar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 9

harm females in reproductive health and wellbeing. They raise awareness, counsel and lead the community to redefine their thinking on female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage, female involvement in education and getting inheritance as well as gender-based violence. The organization supported their daily effort with community discussions as well as training and dialogue among religious leaders and clan leaders.A particular assessment was carried out in northern Dubte, Kori and southern Eli Daar identifying a total of 146 women and men (around 11 men) who perform FGM. These people now await that they are led to dissociate themselves from the practice and take up a useful community position as a trained TBA and for some, a women extension worker.A special conference in Afdeera, Erebti and Magaale was organized to suggest to clan leaders that they could take up the role of prosecuting and punishing FGM practitioners as part of their portfolio of punishing those who shed blood in the community. This dialogue has reached the understanding that a higher agreement is necessary with the traditional leadership and in conjunction with the government justice, women and children’s affairs and Sharia Court to totally decide on this. The need is there since communities in remote areas do not access government legal services. Along with child vaccination, APDA continues to assess the level and type of FGM in any community. Results show a continuing rising level of the ‘lesser cutting’ and small pockets that do not undertake any cutting but as it is apparent, the need to keep up a strong level of awareness is essential.

4.2.8 Youth in the health mobilizing teamYouth continued to play an increasing role in stopping FGM as well as in securing rights for Afar women in marriage. Seventy five of the 203 program women extension workers partner with voluntary youth in the community so that the youth are able to penetrate the understanding of their peers as well as demand change from their elders.In Ami Bara, Awash, Mille, ‘Adda’ar and Sifra, in-school and out – of – school gender clubs are creating a strong environment for young girls and boys to raise their views and to work deliberately for equality in their lives. Voluntary women’s groups in the various communities support them and are working hard to prevent gender-based violence in the community, linking their effort to health workers that those affected get the medical and sociological support they need. Donor support for primary health and emergency maternal hospital- SONNE International: 40 health workers - UNFPA, gender fund: 20 health workers and 45 women extension workers- Ethiopiaid, Australia: support to 50 women extension workers, stopping harmful practices- Ethiopiaid UK – support 25 women extension workers and the stopping of harmful practices- Birthing Kits Australia – 10 women extension workers; 3 health workers- Barbara May Foundation – Hospital running costs and support of staff- Barbara May Foundation – 20 health workers; 20 women extension workers- Bread for the World, Germany – 20 women extension workers working with female crop

production and marketing skills- Respect for Change, Belgium – 12 women extension workers- Ethiopiaid Canada – support in clan leaders’ conference to end FGM- UNICEF – support to vaccinate in Teeru and Afdeera- CORDAID Netherlands - support to train ToT for newborn and maternal health


4.3 Improving Livelihoods

4.3.1 Increasing access to waterIn July 2019, APDA constructed an earthen dam of 7,500 m3 capacity in Alaab assisting well over 500 households desperate to get access to water. Their river that normally waters the land and provides them with water close to their settlements had diverted and they were walking 12 hours to collect water. Moreover, the project improved this by providing 350 water filters that the rainwater collected from the dam could be filtered free of debris and coliforms as mentioned above. Again, a total of 13 cisterns were rehabilitated: 6 in Erebti; 4 in Teeru; 1 in Kori, 1 in Eli Daar and 1 in Bidu, all providing access to harvested rainwater for the respective communities. With the latter – mentioned 3 cisterns, water committees from a total of 45 communities (180 trainees) gained on-job training on cistern maintenance. These community cisterns were in Kori, Eli Daar and Bidu, all previously constructed by APDA as early as 15 years ago.

In Mille woreda in 4 sites close to the Mille River, 4 new boreholes were dug saving people drinking contaminated river water. In of the 3 sites, that of Hafaalo in Giraaro the intention is that the community drinks the water but also use it to develop 10 hectares of spate – irrigation harvesting food crops.

4.3.2 Supporting diversification of livelihood through crop – growing and income generationWhere water is adequate, APDA is supporting communities to diversify their livelihood through crop growing and thereby diversify their diet. In Sifra and Uwwa, a total of 13 hectares of land with river water access have been cultivated. The benefiting 280 women and their families have grown onions, tomatoes, beans, melons, peppers and cabbage, all crops never before grown in the these target areas or known to the communities. The women grew the crops to eat and to market being organized into groups of 10 women implementing saving and credit, again, a first for these communities. They were trained in horticulture, land preparation as well as a series of income generation training courses that they are now able to freely improve their household status from poverty to sustainability profitably marketing crops and petty trading. Each woman received a loan and the loan is repaid then turned over to a second and a third generation of beneficiaries aiming to lift the communities out of dependency and destitution. There were several challenges not least of all was the invading locusts from September to November destroying the crop production in Sifra. The overall benefit is also women’s empowerment since they are now competent income owners as well as crop-growers.

In Giraaro, Mille, a water - spreading weir has been constructed to improve pasture land so that an animal marketing cooperative can have ready access to pasture. APDA has also developed a pilot food – cropping scheme on land within the Barbara May Maternity Hospital demonstrating to all who come to the hospital and Mille community the benefit of vegetable and fruit growing.


Seed - bed ready for planting out in Barbara May Mille Hospital

The program also developed another 3 women’s cooperatives in Mille and 5 in Dubte woreda under similar plan that the women develop income from petty training, animal fattening and crop growing where they can. The above – mentioned borehole in Hafaalu will assist one cooperative of women. Their training again is in saving and credit as well as group finance managing and marketing. Here the benefit is for 212 females and their families.

APDA’s community economy development sector continues to monitor such groups established in the past seeing that they do turn over returned loans to other low - income households. There are now well over 3,500 households that have been assisted in this way from several woredas

Women’s group in Barso, Dubte woreda agrees to action in a meeting

4.3.3 Rehabilitating the rangelandDuring the year, as a community-based organization, APDA has supported KFW in its plans to rehabilitate rangeland in Teeru, Uwwa, Awra, Yallo and Guulina all in Zone 4 as well as Sifra, ‘Adda’ar and Kori in Zone 1. The project aims to remove prosopis juliafora, an invading weed shrub that has taken away grazing land in 4 communities where outstanding livelihood loss is evident, reseeding indigenous grasses once the shrub is removed as well as re-seeding in a further 4 communities. Water sources in 8 riverbeds will be expanded by constructing sand-dams and to support a further 4 communities with irrigated farming. APDA’s role is working with the communities that will benefit in terms of facilitating to see long-term sustainability through their effort including change of grazing practices to protect rehabilitated land. The organization has conducted needs assessments and baselines for this work.These activities were funded through- Welthungerhilfe, Germany- Bread for the World, Germany- GIZ- KFW through Ministry of Agriculture- Diakonie KatastropheAfar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 12

- Ethiopiaid UK- Mennonite Central Committee

5. Emergency response5.1 Water trucking and emergency WASHWater shortage played a strong role in the drought – stress of the community, especially in the first 6 months. APDA provided support to the Bidu woreda government in providing 3 trucks to bring water to 1,500 households desperately in May and June 2019. Again, In Eli Daar, APDA supported the woreda government to truck water to thirsty people in the Manda/ Daaba area for 2 months and finally, 2,330 households in northern Dubte and Eli Daar received trucked water from April 1st to May 31st using 8 hired water trucks. This project also included hygiene and sanitation awareness as well as distribution of water PUR to people drinking contaminated water but too far away to benefit from the water trucking service. This supported another 1,000 households. APDA’s community health workers undertook the demonstration of water PUR and the awareness. 5.2 Responding to animal disease outbreaksRealizing the herd is the household asset, APDA tries to respond to the disease outbreaks that occur connected to lack of pasture and water under drought stress.From May to August 2019, diseased animals were treated in Erebti, Bidu and Eli Daar through 3 campaigns each of 15 days. Overall, a total of 122,324 animals were treated, the most having internal and external parasites as well as tryptomonisis, pasteurolosis and other infectious illnesses. The most destitute households were supported with 4 months of supplementary animal feed (government – supplied alfalfa hay) feeding breeding goats particularly that they stay alive through the driest months and also gain body strength to breed.A second project responded to animal disease outbreaks where they occurred from August to December 2019 treating a total of 63,218 animals from 5,268 households in Sifra, northern Dubte, Finto in Awra and Digdiga in Teeru.

5.3 Supporting malnourished peopleAs of August 2019 APDA launched a project to support utterly food insecure and malnourished people in Alaab and Moggores kebeles of Bidu. These remote people as described above developed strong malnutrition with almost no annual main rains and no access to other support. While screening all n=under 5 year olds for malnutrition and treating them with government collaboration according to the CMAM protocol, 1,350 pregnant and breast-feeding mothers were supported to receive 3 months supplementary food. The project is due for completion in February 2020.These activities were funded by - Welthungerhilfe, Germany- Diakonie Katastrophie, Germany- Ethiopiaid, Canada

Signed:

Ismael Ali Gardo, APDA Director.March 30th 2020. Afar Pastoralist Development Association, annual report, 2019 13

· Web viewThe organization supported their daily effort with community discussions as well as training and dialogue among religious leaders and clan leaders. A particular assessment

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