Strengthening the resilience of communities in Gezei Gofa, Ethiopia, to climate-related disasters

Restoring livelihoods, protecting children
and supporting the mental health of affected families

Ethiopia faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis due to recurring climate disasters, including droughts, floods and landslides. These events have exacerbated food insecurity and displaced millions of people. In July 2024, violent landslides struck the Gezei Gofa district in southern Ethiopia. These natural disasters killed 257 people and displaced more than 4,200 households. Homes, farmland and livelihoods were destroyed, plunging local communities into food insecurity and deep trauma.

Children and women are among the most affected: 216 children have lost one or both parents, and numerous cases of post-traumatic stress have been identified.

Faced with the scale of the disaster, SOS Children’s Villages, in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia, has launched an integrated humanitarian response. The objective is twofold:

Restore agricultural and economic livelihoods in order to reduce dependence on external aid.
Support mental health and the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly children, young people and women.

Beyond emergency response, this project aims to strengthen communities’ resilience to future disasters.

The project consists of several components:

Agricultural and economic recovery: distribution of seeds, fertilisers and tools, establishment of horticultural nurseries, development of poultry and sheep farming, training in sustainable agricultural practices.
Psychosocial support and protection: creation of safe spaces for children, young people and women, support for people suffering from post-traumatic stress, awareness campaigns against gender-based violence.
Health and nutrition: deployment of mobile health teams, training of medical staff, prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition in children under 5 and pregnant women.
Community strengthening: setting up savings and credit groups, creating child protection committees and supporting foster families.

PERIOD:

April 2025 – March 2026

BENEFICIARIES:

The project directly targets 4,245 people in 849 households, distributed as follows:

627 displaced households who lost their agricultural land.
222 households who retained their land but were deprived of their means of production.
174 female-headed households supported in income-generating activities.
435 households involved in collective activities (livestock farming and AGR).
84 host families supporting 216 separated or orphaned children.

OBJECTIVES:

Restore agricultural and economic livelihoods in order to reduce dependence on external aid.
Support mental health and the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly children, young people and women.

Support this project

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