“UN Caught in a Bind: Flooding Crisis in Ethiopia Leaves Financial Woes”

Thursday May 18, 2023

Oh my, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has expressed a dire need for funds to assist with recent floods in Ethiopia! This natural disaster has caused significant displacement of people as well as widespread property damage! Oh no!

With more than 35,000 households displaced and over 45 lives lost, Ethiopia’s Somali Region has been devastated. Oh, the tragedy! OCHA has released information stating that more than 23,000 livestock have perished and an immense 100,000 hectares of precious farmland has been destroyed. Oh the humanity!

Food, shelter, agriculture, nutrition, and health support are the most important of all the humanitarian needs. Flood waters have reached areas that were hit hard by the historic drought in the Horn of Africa, which has left more than 11 million people food insecure in Ethiopia alone. Now health risks are even higher in these areas due to the flooding, and it’s causing a cholera outbreak. Oh no, this is so distressing!

The United Nations and humanitarians, alongside the Ethiopian government, are all working towards providing life-saving assistance. But, sadly, more funding is urgently needed! The Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund are coordinating an allocation of 40 million U.S. dollars to assist those affected by drought and floods. However, it’s concerning to learn that to date, only 22 percent of the near 4 billion dollars required for the humanitarian response this year has been received. This is so worrying!

It’s not just Ethiopia suffering either. The United Nations and humanitarian partners are also offering aid to those arriving from neighboring Sudan, which is currently in a state of military conflict. Since April 21, over 25,000 people have arrived in Ethiopia, with the majority being Ethiopian nationals returning home. How heartbreaking! Yet, the UN and partners, along with the Ethiopian government, have installed transit shelters with water and sanitation supplies, as well as providing sustenance and nutrition. Oh, let us all pray for these poor souls!