DFAP closes after five years of successful implementation

Monday 3 October 2016

Guests visiting the newly improved irrigation canal at Fiko village in Dollo Ado Woreda of Somali Regional State.

After five years of successful implementation (2011-2016), The Transformation to Food Security Developmental Food Assistance Programme (DFAP) came to an end on 30 September 2016.

The program, implemented by Save the Children with funding from USAID, aimed to contribute to the enhancement of the asset-based resilience of the chronically food-insecure pastoralist and agro- pastoralist communities in Oromia and Somali regions.

At the close out workshop event organized on 19th and 20th of September at Yabello town in Oromia Region and in Dollo Ado town in Somali region on the 23rd and 24th of September, the project shared its successes and lessons learnt with over 300 participants. Key among the purposes of the workshop was to share the lessons learnt to serve as valuable input for future planning and implementation of similar programs that aim to improve the food security and disaster coping capacities of the target communities and particularly women.

Tewodros Yeshiwork, Chief of Party for DFAP, gave a presentation that highlighted key achievements of the program, among which were; distribution of food commodities to over 350,000 chronically food insecure beneficiaries, training of over 10,000 government and Save the Children staff and community on PSNP guideline and risk assessment, construction of new facilities and renovation of existing ones to improve water supply and sanitation. Tewodros also stressed the program improved targeted household income through income generating activities and provision of skills training for the unemployed youth.

The close out workshop event also included a field visit to selected project sites. Visitors were able to see an irrigation farm, water supply infrastructure and natural resource rehabilitation work implemented by the community with the support of DFAP. Notable among the sites visited were the Birka Water construction and rangeland management work at Chile village in Dugda Dawa district of Oromia and the newly improved irrigation Canal at Fiko Village in Dollo Ado Woreda of Somali region.