Multi-Sectoral Emergency Response for Drought-Affected Communities
With funding from Afro Ethiopia Integrated Development, Emmanuel Development Association (EDA) implemented a multi-sectoral emergency response project to provide protection and support for 7,000 community members across 17 kebeles in Zebagazo Woreda. The project established community-based complaint mechanisms and PSEA coordination structures while combating gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful traditional practices among drought-affected communities.
Key achievements include reaching 2,000 women, children, and adolescent girls with awareness sessions on GBV and harmful traditional practices; training 20 health extension workers and GBV specialists; engaging 500 community members in community conversations and dialogues; providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to 100 children and caregivers; and providing multipurpose cash assistance to 125 survivors of GBV and harmful traditional practices to enable them to access essential services.
Through these integrated protection and resilience-building interventions, the project contributed to improved safety, dignity, and well-being for the most vulnerable members of drought-affected communities in Zebagazo Woreda, while strengthening community structures and accountability mechanisms for sustained protection.
Key Activities & Deliverables
Crisis-Affected Protection & Support Mechanisms
- Targeted Outreach: Delivered multi-sectoral emergency response interventions to protect 7,000 community members across 17 kebeles in Zebagazo Woreda.
- Multipurpose Cash Assistance: Distributed immediate, multipurpose cash transfers to 125 survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) to enable safe access to essential services.
- Accountability Frameworks: Established local, community-based complaint channels alongside active Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) coordination structures.
Grassroots Behavior Change & Specialized Training
- Mass Awareness Campaigns: Conducted rights and risk education sessions focused on GBV and HTPs, directly reaching 2,000 women, children, and adolescent girls within drought-affected populations.
- Capacity Upskilling: Provided technical training to 20 local Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and specialized GBV practitioners to reinforce frontline response systems.
- Community Dialogue: Engaged 500 active community members in localized conversations and structural dialogues to address embedded social norms.