AFAR Region Projects

Emergency Water Supply and Environmental Water Sanitation Programme

This programme has been implemented in collaboration with UNICEF. The major activities of the programme include construction and rehabilitation of hand dug wells, elevation of water tanks along with water tankering services, construction of VIP latrines and waste disposal pits.

As per the agreement made with the respective regional government bureaus & UNICEF, the following activities have been accomplished:

• Construction of 4 Hand dug wells in Afambo
• Rehabilitation of 3 hand dug wells in Elidar. This accomplishment has saved many
women and children from traveling long distance to fetch water. Their animals also benefited.
• Elevation of 2 steel water tanks with a capacity of more than 20,000 liters in Bure and Manda kebeles. Water distribution pipes have been linked to the water tanks.
• Roads are constructed to reach the water tanks.
• Climate change in the pastoralist area affects the source of water and grazing area. Recurrent drought often hits Afar resulting in sever shortage of water for human and animal consumption. Water projects that have been completed during the previous operational years have been handed over to pertinent regional government institutions. NACID in its small capacity has advised its partners and donors while organizing and coordinating strategic plans for positioning emergency water supply trucks, containers such as water bladders, emergency supply and animal feed. Relief supply often is stored in central locations but the very existence of any pastoralist community asset being their animals are usually left aside, where emergency feed and water supply has not been part of the planning. Advocating on behalf of animal herders located in the lowland part of the country is starting to attract the attention and collaboration of government, donors and concerned development partners. As a contribution toward this plan NACID has purchased a fairly used water tanker truck to be used as a stand by for water trucking in its 11 district operation areas of Afar regional state. This made possible to distribute 12 million liters of clean and potable water to Bure, Manda Elidar and Afambo districts, saving the lives of a large number of cattle who would other wise have been exposed to the risk of perishing.
• As part of its project in environment, health and education, awareness raising sessions, seminars and training workshops have been conducted in conjunction with prevention and control of primary eye disease, trachoma control with water and hygiene education, face washing using SAFE and WASH strategy, contributing to improvement of environmental sanitation for minimizing the risk of the spread of contaminated infectious and communicable disease. These activities were supported through the financial assistance of UNICEF, Afar Health Bureau and CBM Germany.

Community mobilization for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS

This program is implemented in partnership with Federal HIV/AIDS prevention and control office (HAPCO) of Ethiopia, Save the Children Federation USA in eleven (woredas) districts in zone 2, 3 and zone 4 of Afar Regional State.

With the objective of reducing the transmission and further spread of HIV/AIDS/STD, and improve the social and economic status of vulnerable groups through vocational training and job opportunity creation, the following activities have been implemented during the reporting period:

A) Sensitization meetings: Stakeholders sensitization meeting was designed with the intention of responsive participation by all concerned community leaders and decision making personalities at the grass root level during the initiation and planning stage of such projects so as to establish community owned intervention mechanism, management and exit strategy. NACID has conducted a series of sensitization meetings in all 11 Woredas of the 3 zones by involving pertinent stakeholders through incorporation of community norms and cultural values for successful completion of projects.

B) Recruiting and training of community based health educators (CBHEs)
CBHEs are selected by the community to serve the community regarding HIV/AIDS and related health issues. It is our experience that rural communities react and response to people of their origin with trust and confidence resulting in positive development, when guided and taught by people drawn from and voted by community members. School teachers, educators, social motivators and promoters, resource persons of youth and women activists are among the group who qualify for such community activities. After training, they are instructed and advised to communicate between the local administration, the implementing agency and the community where the issue of accountability is emphasized with commitment for positive change whereby CBHEs report to their respective Woreda HIV/AIDS project supervisor.

C) Care and support: In addition to the prevention of HIV/AIDS through education and awareness creation, care and support for more than200 persons living with HIV/AIDS and AIDS orphans have been given since the commencement of the program.

D) Community mobilization and IEC activities: Community mobilization and education focusing on prevention of HIV/AIDS has been widely undertaken by the community based HIV/AIDS educators, through the distribution of IEC materials designed for each specific cultural and social area through home to home visits and personal approaches demonstrated on public holidays and on public gathering events moving from one place to another. 42000 home-to-home visits were made and a total of 275,750 people are informed and educated about HIV/AIDS/STD and other health related issues. In a similar development, schools with youth and sexually active population which can be severely affected by the pandemic are approached with peer educators, youth for youth clubs and incorporated with the teaching and learning sessions. “Afar Dagu”, a method of teaching the public by sitting at the road side in rural communities, more than 24,569 people have been informed and educated about HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, in cooperation with AIDS Resource Center and Federal HAPCO, 17,500 leaflets, 5200 booklets and 2500 posters have been disseminated during this reporting period.