Loss and Damage funding for South Omo, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the country's most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Recent years have seen a devastating cycle of severe drought and heavy rains, pushing vulnerable communities to their limit.

It has meant homes, livelihoods, critical infrastructure and livestock have been destroyed. The people of Dasenech have told us this is impacting mental health and increasing a sense of hopelessness as they face a bombardment of humanitarian challenges.

'Loss and damage’ is a term used in UN climate talks to refer to the consequences of climate change that go beyond what people can adapt to; like when extreme droughts turn farmland into dust. 

Some of the loss and damage that's occurring can be measured in economic terms, such as impacts on farming or tourism - but the loss of lives or the trauma of losing your home is much harder to quantify, and even more devastating.

After listening to the urgent needs of the communities the Scottish Government funding will be used, through local partners, in several ways including to carry out repairs to damaged infrastructure like boreholes, re-training and job creation projects, much needed psychosocial support for communities feeling traumatised and a veterinary programme to boost the health of livestock (thousands of animals have died due to the extreme weather and lack of food).

The funding is timely as the area once again has been hit by heavy rains, prompting a new wave of humanitarian challenges.

The funding is coming from the Scottish Government's Humanitarian Emergency Fund and Christian Aid is one of 4 international development agencies to take a share of the £1 million allocation, in an announcement that was originally made during New York Climate Week and confirmed during COP28 in Dubai.