TIGRAY Regional Projects

Tigray, the war ravaged drought and famine stricken part of northern Ethiopia is also identified with population pressure and less carrying capacity of land in the Eastern Zone. Decades of aggression, border conflict, military mobilization and dislocation of people and assets have exacerbated the level of poverty and the living conditions of the general public.
The spread of HIV/AIDS, unemployment and the restrictions of people’s movement due to border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, has caused extensive damage by destroying the hope and glamour of joint development effort by the two brotherly people who have lived in harmony since the beginning of history. War and rumors of war causing uncertainty in the daily life and normal activity hampered planned development opportunity and the potential reward of tolerance and peace deployment.
NACID’s involvement in the eastern part of Tigray dates back to the beginning of government change in 1993. Famine mitigation project was the primary focus of our intervention, financed by USAID’s competitive grant approved in Washington D.C. Since then, much has been achieved in our humble capacity expanding the services which proved worthy of reaching the neighboring districts and villages within a reachable proximity.

Reproductive Health Project

This programme is being implemented in the three Woredas of eastern Tigray zone namely, Ganta-afeshume, Gulomekeda & Saesie-tsaeadamba Woredas. The programme is primarily a community based programme where 55 Community Based Reproductive Health Agents (CBRHAs) are recruited, trained and provided with the required working guidelines, procedures and service delivery equipments set by the standards of the Ministry of Health. The program, financed by Planed Parenthood Federation of America Incorporation has been implemented since 2000 and has shown remarkable results.

During the reporting period, as part of IEC activities, health education was conducted for a total of 44,860 people on reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS. Posters and leaflets were also produced and distributed focusing on adolescents. Sports activity, recreation, drama contest and demonstration have been effectively used illustrations as medium of communication for information dissemination activities serving a total of 1,860 new and 5,077 revisit clients during the reporting period.

Street Children Rehabilitation and school support project

This project component focuses on vulnerable and destitute children who are supported to attend formal education in the regular schools, preventing them from street life, improving the general condition of the street children and their families, contributing to the effort of urban poverty alleviation and destitution. Activities in this program includes, identification, short listing and selection of eligible street children from among the number of poor families through criterions set by the cooperation and collaboration of community leaders and local administration for enrollment of children into schools by paying necessary fees and providing educational materials. The schools where the children attend are also supported with the construction of ventilated improved pit latrines, water points, with the supply of student desks, education material supplies and with capacity building financial and material contributions to each school administration and parent teacher committee associations. During the reporting period, 300 street and vulnerable children were supported, 3 schools financially and materially supported for housing more than 6000 students. NACID’s humble and committed contributions have been appreciated and praised by the community, local and regional authorities.

The street children rehabilitation and integration component was financed by ISEE from the Netherlands up to June 2005, however due to financial limitations, financing was interrupted, causing desperation on the life of children.

Emergency water supply and environmental sanitation program

As part of NACID’s intervention effort in environment, health and education, rain water harvesting was one focus area where the financial support of our partners, such as CORDAID from the Netherlands have enabled us to embark upon the construction of a big ground water cistern in 2004 and after completion, handed over to the benefiting community partners and to the district level government administrative agencies for assisting in the monitoring, management and sustainability of the project in 2005.

Emergency water supply and sanitation project is implemented in Erop and Gulo-Makeda woredas. These woredas are found across the Ethio-Eritrea boarder, where conflict usually has been feared and protected from eruption by United Nations Mission for Ethiopia and Eritrea, UNMEE. The issue of peace, reconciliation, rehabilitation, reconstruction is advocated by peace loving communities where NACID shares this noble effort and strides toward its achievement in future development. When the war was over, there was an urgent need for water supply and sanitation to the returnees and responded to the request to assist in agreement with the local administration for implementing emergency water supply and sanitation intervention. The construction of water cistern, hand dug wells, VIP latrines and water distribution points in the war torn border towns of Zalambesa & Dohan has contributed to the alleviation of water shortage. The first result of the program is the construction of a 17 x 17 x 4.5 meter cistern, 2 water distribution points and fitting of 50 meter long pipe. This alone has benefited 5,000 people.