We spoke with Guyo Denge, Executive Director of Community Initiatives Facilitation and Assistance (CIFA – Ethiopia) on how they build resilience by tapping into community knowledge and history.
“We were registered in Ethiopia in 2005 but we have a sister organisation which we were registered out of, working in northern Kenya which itself was registered in 2000.
We work in a pastoral context which mainly is related to the management of rangelands but also with human aspects. We work mainly on peace building and conflict resolution interventions, and also responding to the recurrent droughts. Currently we are active in Oromia region, specifically in Borana zone that lies directly across the Ethiopia - Kenya border, and we also work in East Hararge zone.
The Borana has a rich and well-preserved oral history. As the Borana are pastoralist and it is a very strongly traditional context, we also involve the traditional institutions like the Gada leaders who are the topmost of the hierarchy of the community. We also involve leaders who are in charge of rangelands at every village, at every location called Abba Dedhas and people in charge of water called Abba Heregas. Communities are the ones that lead us.
We are able to gather a history of the disasters that have struck over decades, how communities have been able to respond to these disasters, also maybe how the government has supported them and other development. We rank these disasters, particularly those that have impact on their livelihoods. Then we identify who specifically is vulnerable whenever these disasters occur.
They also identify which livestock are most at risk. Once we have identified the vulnerabilities together, we look at existing capacities. We identify required capacities and then the gaps between what is existing and what is required. Using all of this information we work with the community to formulate the appropriate disaster reduction strategy for them.
Construction of an underground water tank at Ejersa village in Moyale District @CIFA
We then co-create a community action plan and also a community contingency plan, for when disasters strike. These two plans are then adopted at the community level. We also link and harmonise it with the government plans that are there at community level and then we move forward to implement it. As they implement the plans, they also monitor the progress of the plans adjusting them whenever necessary. The plans are documented and kept at the level of Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) and can easily be shared with any relevant development actors – NGOs and the government.
The long-term impact of this work has been sustainable livelihoods and saving lives and livelihoods in humanitarian situations. Communities have been able to activate their contingency plans and respond to emergencies. A good case is the Bokola community in Moyale district in the 2017 drought.
In humanitarian emergencies – mainly droughts and conflicts - we’ve been the first responders in saving lives and livelihoods through interventions such as cash transfer programs, livestock feed and health interventions and water trucking.
Whenever a development stakeholder comes into the community, we do ensure that these plans are shared with them, as well as other relevant government line departments. We've been doing it since 2013. It's quite innovative and it’s quite wonderful!"
ABOUT CIFA Ethiopia
Our vision is peaceful, healthy, enlightened and self-reliant communities in Ethiopia.
To learn more about CIFA go to www.cifaethiopia.org