Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: September 24 (EI) – The Swedish government has reiterated to further strengthen its support to the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s initiative that aimed to improve the livelihood of refugees in Ethiopia.
This came during the ongoing official visit by a high-level Swedish delegation, led by the Swedish State Minister for Development Cooperation, Per Olsson Fridh, to Dollo Ado district in Ethiopia’s Somali regional state, where they visited the Heloweyn refugee camp, which is one of the 5 refugee camps in Dollo Ado, which hosts five refugee camps mainly occupied by refugees from Ethiopia’s neighboring country Somalia.
“The Ethiopia-Sweden partnership goes back to the 1950s, and we are proud to be still working together,” said Fridh after observing food production and agricultural activities by refugees, as he emphasized the need to sustain the long-standing ties among the two countries, in which partnership with WFP would also help to leverage the two countries cooperation.
“Sweden is curious to see the improvements of livelihoods of refugees and continues to help and follow up the success of our humanitarian efforts,” the Swedish State Minister for Development Cooperation stressed.
According to WFP, the Swedish government has also donated 41 million Swedish Kroner (4.2 million U.S. dollars) to support WFP’s refugee program that envisaged to build refugee communities’ resilience.
The Swedish grant is specifically directed to road transport capacity building, emergency preparedness and response, early warning systems and complaint feedback mechanism, Satellite Index Insurance for Pastoralists in Ethiopia (SIIPE), as well as livelihood promotion and resilience building in Somali and Gambella regions, which are home to refugees from Somalia and South Sudan respectively.
Steven Were Omamo, WFP Representative and Country Director to Ethiopia, also commended Sweden’s support to WFP’s resilience development program that targeted refugees in the East African country.
“It is the appropriate time and place to help such a project that benefits the needy and with the donation we received we strive for the success and sustainability of the projects to the benefits of the refugees,” Omamo said.
“We are so grateful for the generous contribution of 41 million Swedish Kronor, which will improve the livelihoods of refugees and the host communities and bridge the humanitarian-development nexus,” the country director stressed.
According to Omamo, the initiative would help “reduce the systemic pressures that generate vulnerability and concomitant demand for humanitarian action.”
WFP’s refugee support initiative in Ethiopia, which is mainly funded by Sweden and Denmark, mainly aspires to develop agriculture and insurance schemes for refugees and host communities in crop and livestock production, as well as for improved logistics systems.
Following the Ethiopian government’s recently introduced grant of land for refugees to engage in agricultural activities, WFP’s community resilience program also focuses on the long-term support for agriculture for refugees and host communities.
The WFP had also recently introduced an irrigation system along the Ganale River that runs through Dollo Ado has also benefited refugees sheltered in Heloweyn camp to engage in small-scale farming activities.
According to WFP, some 50 hectares of land have been secured so far and activities are underway to secure and additional 1000 hectares.
A high-level Swedish delegation, led by the Swedish State Minister for Development Cooperation, Per Olsson Fridh, visited Dollo Ado district in Ethiopia’s Somali region, where they visited the Heloweyn refugee camp, which is one of the 5 refugee camps in Dollo Ado. (Photo – Michael Tewolde)
