More than ever, we feel the need to stay close to those communities which most need our support. Whether in the regions of Amhara, Afar, Oromia, Tigray or Somali, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), together with our partner the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), are making sure that we best serve vulnerable populations.
The nutritional situation of pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of five has become particularly worrying in the Tigray region and has required our urgent action to save lives. The ICRC's nutrition program which supports thousands of malnourished women and children, many living in hard-to-reach places, has already seen life-saving outcomes. Of high concern, too, is the situation of the population in certain parts of Amhara, Afar and Tigray which are littered with unexploded remnants of war; a risk for the population - particularly children – but also for farmers and the tens of thousands of displaced people returning to their homes in former battlefields.
In the following pages, you will read about the support we give to displaced people, how we help survivors of sexual violence get a sense of belonging in their communities, about our work in places of detention, the efforts we are taking to keep people safe from explosive remnants of war and how we minimize the risk of aid diversion.
