Integral Alliance has launched an Integral alert for the Tigray Crisis in Ethiopia and Sudan …
Ten Members are opting in to be part of this joint Integral Disaster Response both directly on the ground and through Partners[1].
As a result of conflict that started on 4 November in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia there is currently a chronic shortage of vital supplies, including food, water, fuel and cash, seriously affecting people in the whole region. A lack of medical supplies is hampering healthcare workers’ ability to support people and disrupting critical services. The situation is also dire for people fleeing the area – 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Sudan. More than 63,000 people have been recorded as internally displaced. An estimated 1.1 million people are projected to need assistance, in addition to more than 850,000 people who were in need of aid before the crisis. [Source here]
Integral Members are responding in Ethiopia and Sudan. By issuing an Integral disaster alert Integral Members can share information, plans and needs with each other through Integral’s online systems and conference calls. This allows Members to identify where collaboration can best add value to the response to this crisis and help more people in need.
ZOA (The Netherlands) has started a humanitarian response in one of the reception centres in Sudan and is preparing to respond in Ethiopia.
Ina Hogendoorn, ZOA’s Director of Disaster Response, says “The situation of the people that had to flee the Tigray region is heart breaking. The sharing of information, resources and working together through Integral in both countries has been great so far, as has the financial support of our fellow Integral Members. This helped us to quickly start responding to the needs”.
Tearfund (UK) in Ethiopia has planned to reach out to 30,000 people who have had to flee for safety and their host communities. Tearfund (UK) is working with Partners to provide food as well as kitchen utensils, blankets and bedding. Money is also being provided so that people can buy their own basic health and personal hygiene items, including hand sanitiser, soap and face masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Ephraim Tsegay, Tearfund (UK)’s Country Director for Ethiopia, says, ”The immediate humanitarian needs of those who have fled for safety remains immense and resources are meagre. More than at any other time, I appeal to Integral Members for coordinated responses to demonstrate a strong collaboration to meet the immediate needs of those fleeing for safety and those host communities receiving them in the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions; and to also plan long-term recovery support and restoration of these displaced communities that are suffering.”
In the initial stages of an Integral response, calls are held as frequently as necessary, so that Members can share information in the critical phase when needs are acute. The Integral online platform enables Members to share photos and stories, response plans and funding needs.
See here for an infographic of our response in Ethiopia and Sudan.
[1] Food for the Hungry (US), Integra (Slovakia), Medair (Switzerland), Medical Teams International (US), Tearfund Australia, Tear Netherlands, Tearfund Ireland, Tearfund (UK), World Relief (US), ZOA (The Netherlands)
