By Dr Bayou Aberra (Emergency Response and DRR Manager, HelpAge International)

1. Helping Older Refugees in Conflict-Induced Disaster:Insight From Helpage International Experience With Somali And South Sudanese Refugees In Dollo Ado And Gambella Regions Respectively By Dr Bayou Aberra (Emergency Response and DRR Manager, HelpAge International) October 13, 2014, Hilton Hotel Addis Ababa

2. In this Presentation • Background Context of Refugees & the project areas • State of Older refugees • Insights/Findings from project practices • Concluding remarks

3. The Context • Ethiopia is hosting over 500,000 refugees from different countries mainly Somalia, South Sudan, Eretria, Sudan (UNHCR refugee update, September 19, 2014 ) • The natural and man made disasters are the causes for people to seek asylum to Ethiopia • In 2011 following the La Lina drought and the conflict in Somalia the influx of Somalia refugees became very high in in Dolo Ado • As of June 2014, there were about 240,000 Somali refugees in Dolo Ado refugee camps of which 2 per cent is older refugees

4. Context cont. They were hosted in five refugee camps. South Sudan - Since the out broke of the conflict in mid Dec 2013, over 188,875 South Sudanese entered to Gambella region of Ethiopia hosted in four camps. It is estimated that over 3,500 people were older refugees over 60+ age.

5. Map showing Dolo

6. Map of Intervention Areas Gambella Regional State Somali Regional State

7. What were the challenges faced in relation to older refugees • Participatory needs assessment was not conducted that included the analyse of the vulnerability, capacity and risk of older people faced • Special needs of older refugees were not sufficiently recognised

8. What were challenges cont. • No specific older people friendly programs ( no mainstreaming of OP issues by humanitarian actors)- the health service, food, NFI needs, psychosocial support • Further deterioration of quality of life of older refugees due isolation and immobility

9. How did HelpAge and other Partners support older refugees • HelpAge developed a guide on Helping Older People in Emergencies (HOPE) to help all actors mainstream their planning & implementation approach across the needs and the right of older people

10. How did HelpAge cont. • Conducted need assessment and identified older people specific needs – health, food, non food items (NFIs), psychosocial support

11. HelpAge Support cont. • Implemented humanitarian action addressing specific need of older people – such as older people friendly food types/nutrition, heath ( eye care, and referral to heath facilities, provision of non food items) • Advocate/sensitise others – priority to older people in food/NFIs distribution and health care service, older refugees were not waiting long queue rather served first in any distribution

12. Specific interventions Dolo Ado- • Older people friendly food distributed – potato, rice and haricot bean • Eye care service – Older refugees with cataract, trachoma and other cases treated and regain visibility

13. Specific cont. Gambella • Non Food items ( bed pan, mattress, bed sheet, plastic bucket, jerican, pillow) distributed

14. Specific cont. • Older people friendly food distribution ( maize flour) • Psychosocial support – delivering palliative care • Training of partners on HOPE

15. Concluding remarks • Mainstreaming of older refugees need and response across the programs of other actors - • Importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer role models , resilience and coping for older people- they helped the children and youth refugees to know more about their culture, their past histories and values of peace

16. Thank your attention.