Addis Ababa – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and aid partners are appealing for USD 21.1 million to provide new shelters and homes for more than 1.8 million extremely vulnerable Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in camps in communities and villages across Ethiopia’s Tigray, Somali and Amhara regions.

Since conflict between Ethiopian government forces and troops in Tigray broke out in November 2020, more than 233,900 people have been supported in 53 displacement sites, most of which are schools. Some are sleeping out in the open. The resources to keep the displacement sites going, where IDPs are provided with necessities such as food and emergency health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance, are running out.

Funding is needed to build communal living quarters/spaces, toilets, showers, and kitchens, among other necessities. It will also be used to upgrade and maintain existing facilities, which fall well short of meeting the needs of the displaced. The funds will also be used for site planning to help create more organized and safe living conditions. New sites for shelter and the construction of new homes are also a part of the plan.

The shelter appeal is being led by IOM in Ethiopia, the national co-lead with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, responsible for managing and coordinating over 1,500 displacement sites nationally, and 300 sites in the Northern region, under the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster (CCCM).  A CCCM cluster was established in the Tigray region to respond to the massive increase in conflict-displaced persons.

“The ongoing conflict in Northern Ethiopia is affecting the ability of IDPs to return home and may result in a situation of protracted displacement," said Rafael Abis, Coordinator of the CCCM Cluster in Ethiopia. "The plan to try and reopen the schools where IDPs are currently sheltering will require additional resources for them to be relocated to new locations, while making sure they still get much-needed assistance.

In July, IOM appealed for nearly USD 70 million to meet the needs of IDPs in the region of which USD 31.7 million has been received to date. IOM has received USD 3.8 million of USD 4 million requested for CCCM work, while the Cluster needs an extra USD 21.1 million for the remainder of 2021. “A well-coordinated and planned shelter response is critical to help prevent displaced populations from seeking shelter in unacceptable conditions that further aggravate their vulnerabilities and protection risks,” said Stiofainin Nic Íomhaird, CCCM Programme Manager for IOM Ethiopia.  

For further information, please contact:

Rafael Abis, International Organization for Migration (IOM): RABIS@iom.int

Lineker Arenneke, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): arenneke@unhcr.org

Hussein Awol, Assistance for the Needy in Ethiopia (ANE): Hussein.a@ane-ethiopia.org

Ethiopia CCCM Cluster: im.ethiopia@cccmcluster.org