As you may have seen from recent news reports, Ethiopia is currently experiencing a shortage of food – and the situation is only likely to get worse in the coming months. Some estimates place the quantity of food needed at 500,000 tonnes. (See, for example, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7451936.stm)
All of this is now having a knock-on effect in the project areas as the cost of food in Addis Ababa is rising at an alarming rate. Table 1 (below) shows how food prices have risen in the last six months. For the poorest of the poor, these price rises are particularly critical.
The rising price of food
The Project now has a particular problem relating to its own staff. As you might know, once the development phase of work has been completed by IHA-UDP in a particular area, the Project work is handed over to a community-based organisation whose staff are employed from the local community. In each case, at the time of phase-out the salary scale was very low – partly to help provide an equal distribution of opportunities for the community. However, there is not sufficient funding available to provide an instant adjustment. IHA-UDP is working intensely on providing a long-term solution – but this will take some time.
The Project must therefore appeal to its donors to help the staff to get through this critical period. Remember, most of the staff are people from the Project area itself and therefore any payment they receive (to help get through this critical period) would be helping the families within the Project to cope with the rising food prices. It is also vital to the future of the project’s work in these areas that the staff are able to stay in their jobs – which means that they must be able to feed their families. Supporting these staff is therefore helping the whole community.
Table 2 gives an indication of the monthly requirements for a typical family (presuming that they can afford a normal diet). To put it in simple terms, this basket of basic foods would have cost £26 six months ago but is now costing £55 – i.e double the amount and a bit more.
Please would you consider supporting this urgent appeal for help. You can give directly to the Project, or donate via Glenfall Fellowship using the attached form.
Glenfall is a registered charity, and can claim gift aid if you are a UK taxpayer.
A typical family's monthly needs
