WFP’s Digital System in Ethiopia Tracks and Delivers Aid to Those Facing Severe Hunger

Zenebech Kahsay expresses relief as she observes her children playing with renewed energy. This transformation is attributed to the bread she baked using a 15kg bag of wheat provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) at a food distribution in Tahtay Adyabo, located in Ethiopia’s northern province of Tigray.

Zenebech Kahsay recounts the challenging period when her children experienced hunger, emphasizing the difficulty of having only one meal a day, often a shared cup of porridge. This struggle occurred during WFP’s pause in food assistance, a hiatus that extended through half of 2023. Families, already grappling with the aftermath of a two-year conflict, faced additional hardships due to drought, illness, and soaring food prices.

In response to reports of food diversion at the start of the previous year, WFP teams in Ethiopia undertook efforts to overhaul the humanitarian food assistance delivery system. During the hiatus in food assistance, WFP developed more resilient delivery mechanisms for its operations, a crucial initiative to ensure the provision of essential food aid to the most vulnerable populations affected by drought, flooding, and conflict.

Kahsay was among the first to receive food assistance from WFP in August, marking the implementation of the new delivery system. Expressing satisfaction, she noted, “So far it’s good. I can see that everyone here is the most in need of food support. People who are not included also have the chance to appeal.”

Mulu Mehari, a grandfather, emphasizes the effectiveness of WFP’s revamped distribution system: “It is so much smoother than before. With my own individual token, I know the food is going to me and only me,” he says. “We were sleeping on empty stomachs, even drinking water was not easy to find. Now we see food coming - this is like a blink of light in the darkness.”

Since resuming food distributions in early December, WFP has provided food to 1.2 million people in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, and Somali regions. The organization is scaling up to offer critical food assistance to 3 million Ethiopians in the coming weeks, with almost 2 million in Tigray alone. While hunger levels have slightly eased compared to the same period last year, there are still pockets of the country where people face the risk of slipping into a humanitarian catastrophe.

The food assistance situation in Ethiopia remains critical, with over 4 million internally displaced people and 7.2 million facing high levels of acute food insecurity requiring emergency assistance. WFP aims to provide food assistance to 40 percent of the 7.2 million individuals, while the government and other partners will support the rest. More than half of those in need are in Amhara and Tigray regions (51 percent). Climate change, conflict, and economic shocks continue to impede livelihood recovery. In Amhara, severe drought is affecting usually productive areas, exacerbating food insecurity. WFP is adapting its distribution procedures, incorporating new measures such as scanning unique codes on ration cards and using containers brought by families to ensure efficient and accurate distribution.

The new distribution system in Ethiopia, incorporating digital ration cards and community-led targeting, is making people feel safer and preventing abuse or exclusion of the poorer population. This approach involves clear inclusion and exclusion criteria determined by the community, with WFP designing, monitoring, and NGOs implementing the system, facilitated by local governments. Digital registration captures biographical data for easy identification during food assistance. The community members can appeal the list if they feel there are wrongful inclusions or exclusions, with an appeals committee present at each site to address such cases. This method ensures a careful selection process based on genuine needs.

The community-led targeting system in Ethiopia, with representatives like Selam Ambachew, is praised for its excellent criteria and inclusivity. The process involves everyone in the community, including internally displaced individuals. While the system ensures that food reaches the most vulnerable, the running costs have put WFP’s Ethiopia operation in a precarious financial position. Urgently needing $142 million to sustain assistance until June and respond to the growing hunger crisis, WFP aims to prevent vulnerable people like Gebeyehu and her children from slipping further into danger. The importance of immediate food assistance is emphasized to save lives in the face of the looming lean season.