Celebrating World Refugee Day: EUTF Projects Transform Lives in Ethiopia

On World Refugee Day (20. June), the EU Delegation in Ethiopia spotlighted on social media channels achievements of projects financed through the EU Emergency Trust fund for Africa (EUTF). These initiatives focus on enhancing energy access in refugee camps and host communities, strengthening basic services, and ensuring the safety of displaced populations. 

Shire Alliance: Energy Access for Host Communities and Refugees in Ethiopia

Alianza Shire, a multi-stakeholder partnership funded by the EUTF, is enhancing living conditions in refugee camps and host communities. The initiative, titled "Shire Alliance: Energy access for host communities and refugees in Ethiopia," is co-funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and implemented by various entities, including the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), as well as leading Spanish private entities in renewable energy and lighting sectors such as acciona.org, Iberdrola, and Signify; and the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (itdUPM).

Together, these stakeholders are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals residing in refugee camps and host communities thanks to the cross-cutting impact of energy.

📢 Social Media Highlight:🌍 On #WorldRefugeeDay 2024, witness the transformative impact of green energy solutions in Melkadida Refugee Camps, eastern Ethiopia. With solar home systems, solar mini grids, and community empowerment, refugees and host communities are lighting the path to a brighter future.  #EUTFInAction

Discover the project through this video! 🎬

More about the project: 

The project's primary goal is to uplift the lives of refugees and host communities by enhancing local capacity, creating livelihood opportunities, and improving access to basic services. Currently, the project is centered around Dollo Ado, in the Ethiopian Somali region, in close collaboration with different entities in Ethiopia, including the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), Save the Environment Ethiopia (SEE), the line ministries, regional bureau, and woredas.

The initiative encompasses two key strategies. 

1. Enhancing Access to Basic Services: Providing sustainable energy solutions to communal services and street lighting in refugee camps.
2. Creating Livelihood Opportunities: Promoting capacity building, establishing businesses based on solar technology, and distributing solar home systems (SHS) to foster employment and economic development.

The Specific Objectives are:

• Improve the delivery of essential services like healthcare, education, and protection through the connection of communal services to the grid, installation of street lighting, and provision of solar home systems.
• Enhance capacity building for local entities, the Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU), and the host and refugee communities.
• Create livelihood opportunities that promote income-generating activities, employment, and economic development.

IRC Assosa: Enhancing Safety and Well-being in Assosa

Another EUTF-funded initiative, implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), aims to increase the safety and well-being of displaced populations and host communities in Assosa, Benishangul-Gumuz region. This project focuses on reducing inequalities and strengthening basic service delivery, including Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), health, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) services.

📢 Social Media Highlight: Families from refugees and host communities now have access to improved facilities at the Assosa General Hospital in Ethiopia! More than 5,000 babies are born safely here each year. 🤰🏽🏥 #MaternityCare #RefugeeSupport #EUTFInAction @RESCUEorg 

🎥Watch the inspiring video about the project here: 

More about the project:

The Overall Objective of this project was to increase the safety and well-being of displaced population and its host community in Assosa (Benishangul-Gumuz region) urban or peri-urban settings and reduce inequalities between these groups. In particular, the project aimed to strengthen basic service delivery (WASH, Health, SGBV) to host communities and displaced populations, and increase the inclusion of displaced persons in the economic and social life, in Assosa.

Main activities included:

• Drilling of a borehole and rehabilitation or laying of new water distribution pipelines;
• Building of a maternity and delivery block at Assosa General Hospital, and improving of the WASH system of the local health facilities;
• Maintenance of water reservoirs and improvement of Assosa water pumping system;
• Capacity building activities for the Assosa Town Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprise and the local SGBV victim one-stop centre;
• Awareness raising activities on SGBV and procuring of a CCTV camera for Assosa town First Instant woreda Court and Supreme Court of Assosa town (to be used by child GBV survivors during hearings in court).

The project increased the daily water production of Assosa town water supply system, improved it, and expanded its reach to new households. In addition, it improved the water bill collection system, enhancing the cost recovery mechanism, and strengthened the capacity of Assosa General Hospital, Assosa Health Centre, and Selga Alu Health Centre to deliver basic health services. It also increased the capacity of local institutions to provide basic services, to both displaced people and host community members.