Addis Ababa (ENA) December 14/2022 The World Bank disclosed that vulnerable Ethiopians will benefit from 745 Million USD in grants for Improved Access to Health Services and Flood Management Projects.
The World Bank in its press release issued yesterday stated that Ethiopians have been impacted by multiple crises including COVID-19, climate-related disasters, and conflict in recent years, disrupting the delivery of essential health services, undermining the progress in health outcomes and service delivery achieved over the past decade.
According to the statement, nearly 24 million people in conflict affected areas are without access to adequate health services. In recent years, flood events in Ethiopia have significantly increased in magnitude, frequency and intensity.
In 2020 alone, floods affected nearly one million Ethiopians and displaced nearly 300,000 and caused 288 fatalities, it stated, adding in the same year, Ethiopia lost nearly 358 million USD in damage to property, infrastructure, and cropland, according to a recent assessment conducted by the World Bank.
The impact of floods on agriculture and livestock has aggravated the already serious humanitarian situation.
“Unless swiftly addressed, these developments will continue to undermine economic and social development,” it said.
To support Ethiopia’s people as they face ongoing challenges, the World Bank Group has adopted a more people-centered approach to its program in Ethiopia with a strong focus on meeting basic needs and providing basic services to the vulnerable.
Accordingly, the World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors yesterday approved two projects:
The Ethiopia Program for Results for Strengthening Primary Health Care Services Project financed through a 400 million USD grant from the International Development Association (IDA) and 45 million USD grant from the Global Financing Facility (GFF) aims to improve essential and equitable health care services such as key reproductive, maternal and child health as well as nutrition services nationwide for the people of Ethiopia, including in conflict affected areas, and especially for women and children, who are the most vulnerable.
The implementation of the project in conflict-affected areas will be conducted through a third-party implementing agency with proven access into these hot spots.
World Bank Group Country Director for Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan, Ousmane Dione said “the health project will provide over 22 million women and children, including those in conflict affected areas and Internally Displaced Persons, lifesaving health services such as immunization, family planning, skilled birth, antenatal and postnatal care. It will also restore facilities that were damaged by conflict, enabling millions of Ethiopians to get access once again to the services they direly need.”
He added that the Flood Management Project (FMP) financed by a 300 million USD grant from the International Development Association (IDA) is geared towards urgently enhancing Ethiopia’s resilience to climate-related shocks, as well as improve its ability to better respond to and manage disasters and flood risks.
The investment in flood management is part of our effort to protect vulnerable communities and boost their long-term resilience to climate related risks, Peter D. Ellis, Practice Manager for the World Bank’s Urban, Resilience and Land Global Practice
Specifically, the project aims to increase the resilience of communities, and mitigate the catastrophic impact of floods on their livelihood, by building the capacity of institutions and improving their ability to deliver quality services. Additionally, the project seeks to improve the quality of hydrological and meteorological services and improve flood early warning systems.
Nearly 34 million people living in poor communities in the priority basins of Awash, Omo, and Rift Valley Lakes basins are expected to benefit from FMP.