AEA and Humedica Spearhead Provision of Emergency Relief Food Items to Targeted Vulnerable Communities in East Africa

By the Association of Evangelicals in Africa
The Association of Evangelicals in Africa in a joint partnership with Humedica – an international non-governmental organization, which provides humanitarian assistance in more than 90 countries globally – successfully implemented a humanitarian response aimed at promoting food security, providing nutritional intervention and health protection in three countries in East and Horn of Africa region. Humedica founded in 1979 and situated in Kaufbeuren (Bavaria) aims to help people, who suffer hardship due to disasters or structural poverty.

Over 11,000 people from 2,380 households were reached in the emergency relief project that kicked-off in August 2020. The World Evangelical Alliance General Secretary, Bishop Efraim Tendero and the WEA Relief and Development Commission lead, Dr David Boan were both instrumental in the design and implementation plans developed at the onset of the project.
The target communities were selected from the following three countries; Ethiopia (Abaya District), Uganda (Gulu, Apac and Teso) and South Sudan (Lainya County), where AEA has an active presence through its national members.
The AEA secretariat team coordinated the project, providing oversight and overall management. The National Alliances/Fellowships constituted the main project implementation teams in the countries.
The Evangelical Alliance of South Sudan (EASS), the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE) and the AEA Relief and Development Commission (ARDC) based in Uganda were the three implementing organizations.
The food intervention reduced the high level of food insecurity, provided psychosocial support for families facing difficult economic challenges and established guidelines for using face masks, social distancing in public spaces and aided COVID 19 prevention measures in the region.
Local Church and community structures were strengthened, with the collaboration providing a template for future partnerships and interventions in other parts of Africa.
Specific activities of the project centred on the stabilisation of nutritional needs among families and vulnerable persons (people living with disabilities or the elderly).
Another key activity for the project was to distribute Covid-19 Protection items that would enable beneficiaries to continue daily routines in the current Covid-19 environment.
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