AFAR PASTORALIST DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
QAFAR DACARSITTO DADALIH EGLA
afarpda@yahoo.com, afarpastoral@telecom.net.et,www.apdaethiopia.org
(251)
011 5159787 (251) 0911 642575/ 0911
246639 Fax
(251) 011 5538820 Field Office, Logya (25133) 5500002
Emergency Situations and Development
News
The region has recently faced/ is facing the
following 3 emergencies:
a) Repeated
small outbreaks of AWD menacing mostly urban areas
b) Volcanic
eruption in a remote area of Teeru Woreda between Digdiga and Namma ‘Ara
kebeles on August 12th
c) Severe
flooding in the Middle Awash.
As per
previous reports, it is to be recalled that tens of thousands of cattle owners
from western Afar Region suffered extreme herd-loss from late June to July due
to current and recurrent drought conditions.
1.
Volcanic eruption
Along the earth crack created by the
2006 earthquake, a new volcanic eruption has appeared as of August 12th.
The location is a very remote area between Digdiga and Namma ‘Ara kebeles in
Teeru. A government team that went to the area gathering information from those
displaced states that 2,160 people fled the area, 5 people died and some 153
camels and 1,216 goats were also killed. While the volcano glowed for some
days, it has died down now having destroyed as wide area of the environment.
2.
The main rains
and flooding
The main rainy season, ‘Karma’
continues in Afar Region and by and large, the season is proving very productive.
Now in most areas previously reported with little or no rain, storms have
occurred: Eli Daar Woreda has had fairly good coverage with small dry pockets
remaining and Teeru Woreda has had rain uniformly. However, in many areas,
storms have been accompanied by extremely heavy winds causing devastation in
many towns particularly in Eli Daar Woreda. Almost 30% of the houses including
the clinic in Galaafi were destroyed in early August, telephone communications
to the woreda totally disrupted, many buildings are de-roofed in Eli Daar,
Manda and Buure.
All the rain-water harvesting
reservoirs constructed by APDA are now full of water – remarkably those in the
notoriously dry areas of Eli Daar and north – west Dubte Woredas.
All river systems are currently
full. As happens annually, the
In the Lower Awash, the problem is
less severe but nevertheless, people in Rumayto Gaali Fagi and Bayahele are
surrounded by water – some evacuated but the remainder live in an ’ocean’ of
shallow flood waters. Necessarily, as flood water recede and stagnate, the
concern for diarrheal outbreaks is acute, in particular, the fast – killing
acute watery diarrhea.
3.
Pastures
Now the Region looks its ‘green’
best. However, there are remarkable areas where grass has not regenerated and
one assumes the grass seeds are lost to high winds and dust storms of the
previous and persistent droughts. Under the PLI Project, APDA has established
small plots of grass –seeded pasture. These now stand out as brilliant
examples. Therefore it is clear much needs to be done in environmental
protection, grass re- seeding and assisting the Afar to re-establish lands
protected as drought – grazing pasture.
Again, the menace of locusts has far
from left the region although with heavy rains in many areas, the locust
population is reduced.
4.
Ongoing efforts
to assist western cattle herders (Mille, Sifra, Uwwa, Awra)
An NGO team in which APDA is leading
the field work are continuing to treat animals, burn carcasses and feed
remaining herds of families identified as close to destitution. Some hundreds
of carcasses are burnt and thousands and animals treated. Animal diseases in
the west are now reduced but spread to other parts of the region, particularly
in the north – west districts of Dubte Woreda affecting both camels and goats.
Animal supplementary feeding while
late in terms of the drought scenario is proving a great boost in milk supply
and the beneficiaries are getting hands – on learning of the benefit of fodder,
again, a great lesson for one and all in dealing with drought affected herds.
5.
AWD (acute watery
diarrhea) causing sporadic, constant trouble
The outbreak in eastern Mille woreda
spread to western Mille and troubled the district for almost 6 weeks. APDA
health team in the area worked constantly to halt the spread. As of the past 10
days, there have been no cases in the area but the market town of Eli Waha and
its surrounds was greatly affected. Throughout August, many of the major market
- towns have had sporadic cases and some 8 deaths: Assaiyta, Dubte, Logya and
in the last 4 days, 30 cases were reported in Yallo the market village close to
Alamatta in southern Tigray.
Again, in the past 2 days, 4 cases
were reported in rural locations in Awra Woreda, Zone 4. Uwwa, the neighboring
woreda has also reported suspect cases.
APDA is anxious to re-group its
health awareness teams and push the sanitation messages deeper and wider into
the community. Soap production is now in full swing and the organization is
about to set up outlets to sell soap cheaply in the rural settings.
Community development
1.
Community
development workers’ annual refresher training
The program’s community development
workers depend on annual refresher training to increase their capabilities and
likewise, the organization uses the training sessions to strengthen the various
workers’ resolve to make development changes in their respective communities.
Currently, APDA is training the remaining 84 community teachers from the 239
teachers in the entire program and women extension workers from Uwwa and Awra.
The women extension workers are taking their second training having joined the
organization as community workers in 2006. It is energizing to see how these
women have developed as responsible community women over the year with a fired
commitment to inspire more changes in their communities.
2.
Intensifying the
campaign against FGM and supporting women’s rights in marriage
APDA is increasing its team of
harmful practices awareness coordinators by adding a Shiek to the group. Twenty
eight women practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Dullassa, 15 in Ami
Bara 20 in Mille have recently resolved, with the aid of their local religious
leaders to stop performing the practice. The film APDA made of FGM practice and
the dispute depicted in the film between a mother who wants to protect her
daughter from it and the local FGM practitioner had a deciding effect on these
women.
During Romadam, a team of awareness
– raisers will take the film to a community remote in north –western Dubte
Woreda where FGM is still practiced and where women/ girls are suffering
immensely from unwanted and unsuitable marriages.
3.
Extending EPI
coverage in remote areas
APDA primary health team assisted
the Regional bureau of Health to gain a coverage in the remote communities in
the recently – completed region - wide measles vaccination team health workers
vaccinated in Talalak, Dawwe, the northern Dubte Woreda districts, Eli Daar,
Kutubla, Afdeera and other districts. In these hard to reach areas, APDA was
vaccinating communities that had not been vaccinated before. In addition, the
organization has given the first round of regular vaccination (polio, measles,
diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis and influenza) to all the
kebeles in Eli Daar reaching as far as areas near the Eritrean border with
questionable security such as Alob and Garbo, Wahan and Daabu. In all cases,
this was achieved by using up to 3 refrigerators operated with generators
making ice as close as possible to the area and vaccines and ice going out in
large cold boxes on camels.
4.
Establishing
community response to HIV and AIDS in
APDA has launched a project
facilitating the community to make a response to HIV and AIDS in these
districts, particularly in the hamlets along the roadside and the market town
of Sifra. The project involves the community fia’ama system in working out how
to protect the family and the youth in particular from HIV and how to assist
those affected by AIDS. In so doing, the project will open two activity centers
for youth, one in Sifra and one in Darsa Gita. One of the major strategies the
project will use is to develop a ground – swell of interest against the chewing
of kaat, the amphetamine leaf that leads to unsafe social practices and
fritters away the time and opportunity of the youth.
5.
Rain water
harvesting
The organization is currently
constructing a number of rain-water harvesting reservoirs (valley – closure
dams, earth dams, cisterns and roof - harvesting) in Uwwa and Awra Woredas,
Zone 4 aiming to strategically assist community education – there are a total
of 45 community teachers in these 2 woredas and some these teaching sites are
chronically drought – prone. Already 2 of these dams are constructed and work
to establish roof – harvesting on a government school has begun. Similarly,
APDA is preparing to begin construction in Mille and Sifra Woredas to harvest
rain water through retention dams and birikuts (underground, roofed and cement
– rendered cisterns). In all construction sites, the community involvement is
vital and all beneficiaries are being facilitated to consider the aspects of
drought cycle management applying them through community risk management.
Therefore, APDA expects the community to use the water source for re-foresting,
small – scale market gardening and so on. As the community is involved in cash
– for – work in the construction, they will also take time to review there own
response to HIV & AIDS as well as balancing gender in development.