Record High Migration to Yemen

The accumulated total number of refugees and migrants to make it from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is at a record high of 84,656.  It has been reported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that numbers are expected to grow even further by the end of this year.  The majority of refugees have come from Ethiopia, and have since 2009 constituted as the "largest group among those to cross the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden."  Sailing patterns have shifted significantly over the years due to increase in traffic on the Red Sea.  With more frequent boat arrivals, more refugees are able to seek safety and opportunities on Yemen grounds.  However, leaving their countries by no means guarantee them an abundance of freedom.  There is concern regarding the increasing trend of abductions, extortions, kidnappings, and sexual assaults directed at refugees, particularly Ethiopian migrants.  Yemen is to host more than 200,491 Somalian refugees and 445,679 displaced Yemeni civilians are to be displaced throughout the country.

--Georisa Chang

SOURCE: UN News Center

An Army of Good

Real difference can be achieved with a dedicated group of people. By training 30,000+ high school-educated females about healthcare, Ethiopia was able to eliminate malaria by 50% and increase immunizations by 35% in five years. This is a great example of developmental growth that is occurring in Africa as we speak!

-Chelsey Dambro

Source: One.org

Ethiopian Farming Village Revived

With the help of the World Food Programme’s “Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transitions to More Sustainable Livelihoods” program (MERET), Ethiopian farmers in the village Goro Wagilo have witnessed a radical transformation. Fifteen years ago the hillsides were bare from deforestation and every time it rained, the water washed away the fertile top soil. In 1995, villagers signed on to the MERET program, a joint venture between the WFP and Ethiopian government. The intent of MERET was to feed people while they worked on projects to reclaim environmentally degraded land.

During the program, farmers built dams, cleared roads and terraced the hillsides. Eight years after signing on to MERET, nearly all of the farmers in Goro Wagilo were growing enough to support themselves and no longer needed food assistance. Another added bonus is that MERET provided some families with new cook-stoves that are safer to use. This type of stove burns three times less wood than the types that Ethiopians traditionally use, and doesn’t emit tons of smoke into the household.

Goro Wagilo’s struggle to revive its agricultural economy is a reminder of how important environmental sustainability is for development. Due to environmental degradation and deforestation, people’s livelihoods were being affected by the weather and poor soil conditions. Consequently, crop yields were too low or inadequate for families to sell as a means of support. Protecting the environment cannot be an afterthought if we are to achieve better living conditions for the world’s poor. Furthermore, Goro Wagilo’s story is an example of why environmental sustainability is a Millennium Development Goal.

-Clare O.

SOURCE: World Food Programme

The Abyssian Fund Helps Farmers in Ethiopia

Coffee is the second most-traded commodity in the world, after oil, yet farmers in Ethiopa (the birthplace of coffee) earn an average of $1 a day. The Abyssian Fund, a non-governmental organization founded by the Abyssian Baptist Church, is working to alleviate this disparity by joining forces with a co-op of 700 coffee farmers in Ethiopia. The fund hopes to double the farmers' incomes in five years by hiring coffee specialists to teach improved planting and harvesting techniques as well as by purchasing scissors, shears and mechanized pickers to ensure that beans are harvested correctly. The fund has raised $130,000 so far, a third of their goal.

- Clara Hill

SOURCE: "Harlem Helps Raise Coffee in Ethiopia" - New York Times

WFP Increases Food Purchases from Ethiopian Farmers

June 24th- Today, the United Nation's World Food Program began the expansion of its Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative in Ethiopia. The program, which is partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, not only buys food from local farmers to supplement their income, but also encourages them to grow greater quantities of their crops and increase the quality of their produce. A 2009 UN development index ranked Ethiopia 171st out of 182 countries for human development.

The P4P program aids over 500,000 farmers in 21 countries, 15 of which are located in sub-Saharan Africa. The WFP acts as a committed buyer, which ensures that farmers keep up an elevated level of productivity and reduces some of the risk that farmers face during hard times. The food that is purchased through P4P is later distributed to where it is needed, often through other WFP food programs. Between 2004 and 2009, the P4P spent over $183 million on food purchases, enough to feed 4 million people per month. Additionally, the P4P works with farmers on technical training to improve farming and storage techniques, as well as increasing their access to credit and the strength of farmers co-operatives. The P4P program has had a major impact in improving the livelihood of small scale farmers in developing countries. David Tibo, a farmer in Southern Ethiopia, said that because of the P4P, he may be able to send his four children to school: "I'm never going back to poverty."

-Matthew Thwaites

SOURCES: UN agency begins procurement scheme to benefit Ethiopian farmers- UN News Centre,, Ethiopia farms says things looking up with P4P-WFP