Ethiopia 2023 IFRC network country plan (MAAET003)

NATIONAL SOCIETY PROFILE

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society was established in 1935. One of Ethiopia’s leading humanitarian organizations, it has a network of 12 regional offices, 33 zonal branches, 132 district branches, more than 5,000 committees (Kebele Red Cross Committees) and more than 185,000 volunteers at the grassroots level. Its sheer scale enables it to reach vulnerable populations unserved by other humanitarian organizations, such as drought-affected nomadic communities.

The National Society’s neutrality has earned it trust within Ethiopia’s conflict areas. It was the first organization to respond to the Tigray crisis. Having established an initial needs assessment, the National Society has remained on the frontline, offering first aid and ambulance services to injured civilians and military personnel, and providing support to displaced people in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Water and emergency kits were distributed to hospitals and households in Mekelle and neighbouring areas, while essential medicines and medical equipment were deployed to hospitals and health facilities in Tigray.

In 2021, the Ethiopian Red Cross, with the assistance of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, reached 27 million people with disaster response and early recovery programmes, and 4.3 million people with long-term services and development programmes.

In its auxiliary role to the Government, the National Society coordinates with the National Disaster Risk Management Commission in the planning and implementation of emergency response actions. It is also a member of the National Operations Centre. As part of the Ethiopian Government’s efforts to combat COVID-19, the National Society deployed 25,000 staff and volunteers who conducted house-to-house detections, screenings and handwashing demonstrations – as well as distributing information about epidemic control measures and the importance of vaccination.

As part of its strategic framework, the Ethiopian Red Cross has identified seven priorities: y Disaster preparedness, response, risk reduction and management y Peacebuilding and the promotion of non-violence y Volunteer and membership management y Resource mobilization and resource utilization y Humanitarian diplomacy and image building y Capacity building y Partnership development.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies