Ethiopia

We have provided humanitarian programmes to Ethiopian communities, IDPs and refugees in more than 60 woredas (districts) in nine regions: Afar, Amhara, Benishagul-Gumuz, Gambella, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) and Tigray. In 2024, we provided lifesaving services to more than 3.3 million people.

Nutrition

International Medical Corps supports the Ethiopian Ministry of Health’s (MoH) nutrition programmes in conflict- and drought-affected parts of the country, including Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regions, and in five refugee camps in Somali region.

We help refugees and host communities by providing community-based management of acute malnutrition through health systems, mobile health and nutrition clinics. Our capacity-building training sessions focus on infant and young-child feeding practices in emergency contexts, quality screening and treatment of acute malnutrition in children under 5, and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). Working through available health facilities and community nutrition centres, we provide a combination of growth monitoring, nutrition counselling and micronutrient supplements, and provide routine mother and infant checkups and other outpatient visits.

In 2024, we screened 1,229,382 children under 5 and 259,290 PLW. Of these patients, our teams treated 99,655 children under 5 for moderate acute malnutrition and 21,721 children under 5 for severe acute malnutrition without medical complications. We also treated 63,707 PLW who were suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. We rehabilitated and supported 739,225 service delivery points, including targeted supplementary feeding program centres, 432 outpatient program sites and 82 stabilisation centres. Additionally, International Medical Corps worked in collaboration with government health facilities to reach 151,643 children aged 6-59 months and 28,776 PLW with micronutrient supplementation, and 50,190 children aged 0-23 months with growth monitoring and promotion.

Our nutrition activities include:

• disseminating infant and young-child feeding information, including the distribution of education and communication materials;
• screening for, and treating, severe and moderate acute malnutrition;
• training healthcare workers on the management of severe acute malnutrition and public health emergencies, including admission and discharge criteria, and reporting and recording guidelines; and
• providing logistical support to transport therapeutic foods, medications, and other essential items to health centres and health posts.

Food Security and Livelihoods

We provided integrated nutrition and food security services to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with severe acute malnutrition across four drought-affected regions. To address the impact of conflict and drought in refugee camps in Amhara, Oromia, Somali and Tigray refugee camps, we support a range of activities that promote and protect local agriculture and livestock and build the resilience of vulnerable families. Our activities include multi-purpose cash transfers; vegetable, fruit and poultry production; fresh-food vouchers; general food distribution and meals at schools; providing crop seeds and farming tools; and supporting livestock vaccine supplies and equipment.

International Medical Corps also trains community volunteers—mostly women—on nutrition education, screening and follow-up for malnourished children, and on essential nutrition actions, including exclusive breastfeeding, appropriate complementary feeding and other relevant preventive measures. We train members of mother care groups (MCGs) to actively promote nutrition and healthy behaviour by visiting households and conducting education sessions. Through these mothers, we reached more than 1,250,489 people with health and nutrition messages in 2024.

Through our livelihood interventions, we provide an integrated approach to improve the nutrition status of children through the Positive Deviance Hearth Approach. We supported 560 households with livelihood activities, including income-generating activities, vegetable gardening and livestock. We provided livestock support for underserved families with 1,000 goats in Oromia, 600 chickens in Wolayita and 1,200 chickens in Tigray. In 2024, we provided emergency food assistance and emergency seeds to 33,256 households, reaching 196,096 people.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

International Medical Corps implements comprehensive WASH programmes in Afar, Amhara, Somali and Tigray regions as part of our ongoing programs at IDP sites, refugee camps and host communities. We rehabilitate water systems, build emergency latrines, promote safe hygiene practices, provide lifesaving NFIs, improve management of solid waste in health facilities and IDP sites, and train people in their communities.

In 2024, we extended our support to 13 refugee camps—10 serving Eritrean and Somali refugees, and three located in Afar region, and the cities of Jigjiga and Dollo Ado/Melkadida. To improve access to clean water, we rehabilitated 170 water schemes, benefiting 160,070 people across health facilities, host communities and IDPs. Our sanitation efforts included the construction and maintenance of 391 safe and culturally appropriate facilities, reaching 62,000 people. Additionally, we distributed WASH-related NFIs to 40,392 people, helping to promote hygiene and dignity. We also supported 49 health facilities—26 in Amhara, 12 in Tigray and 11 in Oromia—by maintaining WASH facilities and providing cleaning and IPC materials to strengthen access to essential health services in underserved areas.

We also continued to expand our reach and impact by deploying dedicated standby teams to remote and hard-to-reach areas, delivering integrated WASH, nutrition and health services to communities in urgent need. Through these efforts, we provided comprehensive WASH support to 10 refugee camps located in Afar and Somali regions, along with surrounding host communities—serving 489,968 people. This included 62,596 people in Afar region’s Aysaita and Berahle camps, 163,919 people in Somali region’s Awubera, Jigjiga, Kebri Beyah and Sheder camps, and 263,453 refugees in Somali region’s Bokolmayo, Buramino, Dollo Ado/Melkedida, Hilaweyn and Kobe camps.

To ensure sustainable access to clean water, International Medical Corps rehabilitated and upgraded 10 borehole water systems and booster stations, installing solar-powered pumps ranging from 11 kW to 45 kW—three in Berahle, three in Melkedida and four in Jigjiga. In Aysaita refugee camp, hydrogeological surveys and borehole drilling led to a 100% increase in water production, significantly improving water availability.

International Medical Corps also advanced its commitment to renewable energy by upgrading water systems with solar power capacities of up to 135 kW, enabling the operation of 75 kW surface pumps at Kebri Beyah and other project sites. These innovations not only reduce operational costs but also ensure a reliable and environmentally sustainable supply of safe water for thousands of people.

Violence Against Women and Girls

We operate VAWG prevention and response programmes in two refugee camps in southeastern Ethiopia, serving Somali refugees in seven targeted woredas in Tigray region and in four locations in Humera, Tsegede and Wolkait woredas. Our VAWG-related services include psychosocial support and case management. We rehabilitate women’s and girls’ safe spaces (WGSS) to provide quality service to survivors. We also train service providers in basic case management skills, dignity kit distribution, safety audits (to mitigate risk) and community network support. We train refugee volunteers and influential elders in basic concepts of preventing and treating VAWG, preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, and providing referral pathways. We promote survivor-centred care by training healthcare providers in the clinical management of rape (CMR) and integrating VAWG services into health facilities. To support community awareness of VAWG prevention, response and risk mitigation, we disseminate critical lifesaving information on available services, explain why it’s important for survivors to report and seek services in a timely manner, and hold “coffee and tea” discussions, adolescent-girl-focused sessions and home visits to disseminate information. We also use the SASA! approach to challenge harmful social norms and raise awareness about the importance of timely reporting and access to services. Through partnerships with government and other implementing partners, we strengthen referral systems to health, legal and protection services.

In response to the northern Ethiopia conflict, our programming expanded to the Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions. In 2024, we reached 481,815 people through prevention and response activities, and 449 women and girls benefited from the Girl Shine curriculum and economic empowerment activities.

Our services include psychosocial support, case management, and the construction and rehabilitation of 35 women’s and girls’ safe spaces (WGSS), and we supported three one-stop centres. We distributed more than 5,000 dignity kits, conducted safety audits and collaborated with community support networks.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

International Medical Corps delivers comprehensive MHPSS services to conflict- and drought-affected communities, including refugees and returnees, to reduce psychological distress and improve mental well-being. Our services range from basic psychosocial support to specialised mental health care, aligned with international standards such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) emergency MHPSS guidelines.

We have implemented MHPSS programming at five camps for Somali refugees in Dollo Ado. The programme continues to provide emergency mental health services and supports government efforts to integrate MHPSS services into existing primary healthcare services. In 2021, in response to the Tigray conflict, we expanded our MHPSS programming through mobile teams in Afar, Amhara and Tigray. We also extended MHPSS services to Oromia, in response to internal conflicts and drought.

We provide comprehensive services to reduce suffering and improve well-being. We offer activities in line with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee MHPSS guidelines for emergency contexts. And we also address a wide range of needs, including basic support, community and family support, and focused non-specialised and specialised services.

In 2024, International Medical Corps reached 94,053 people with services including clinical care for mental, neurological and substance use conditions, individual and group counselling, psychological first aid (PFA) and case management. We also trained more than 2,500 primary healthcare workers, community workers and teachers on key MHPSS topics, such as mhGAP-HIG, PFA and PSS, trauma-informed care, socio-emotional learning, group problem management, responding to crisis and preventing suicide.

To foster healing and community resilience, we operate nine recreational centres in Dollo Ado and Gambella and recently constructed two additional centres in Amhara and Tigray. These centres support learning, social connection and skill-building. So far, 126,876 people have participated in various psychosocial activities.

Since May 2024, International Medical Corps has co-chaired the national MHPSS Technical Working Group alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), leading coordination efforts through national and regional review meetings, conferences, and joint planning sessions with government and NGO partners.

Healthcare

Since 2015, International Medical Corps has supported local public health authorities in the Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, SNNPR and Tigray regions in efforts to address emergency health issues caused by drought, conflict and other crises. We have strengthened the government’s capacity to prepare for, investigate and respond to disease outbreaks and emergency health needs in crisis situations. We deploy mobile health, nutrition and surge teams to provide essential primary healthcare services; strengthen health systems; procure and distribute medicines, medical equipment and medical supplies; and provide technical and logistical assistance. To build local healthcare capacity and strengthen coordination between government-operated healthcare units, we provide training on public health, emergency management and related topics. We also conduct multi-sectoral rapid assessments, helping to design evidence-based programmes while maintaining the capacity to deploy mobile health and nutrition teams to remote areas. We support routine immunisation campaigns for measles and other illnesses, and respond to outbreaks of emerging diseases.

To build local healthcare capacity and strengthen coordination between government-operated healthcare units, we provide training on public health emergency management and related topics. We also conduct multi-sectoral rapid assessments, helping to design evidence-based programmes while maintaining the capacity to deploy mobile health and nutrition teams to remote areas. We support routine immunisation campaigns for measles and other illnesses and respond to outbreaks of emerging diseases.

In 2024, International Medical Corps reached more than 1.25 million people in Ethiopia with health interventions. We also responded to eight disease outbreaks—including measles, cholera and malaria— across Ethiopia, demonstrating our commitment to addressing urgent public health needs. Our outbreak response efforts reached more than 270,000 people, highlighting our extensive outreach during health emergencies. These targeted responses reflect International Medical Corps’ proactive approach to controlling outbreaks and strengthening health systems despite ongoing crises. Our emergency health teams provided lifesaving primary healthcare services, including maternal and child health and mental health services, by deploying 34 mobile health and nutrition teams (MHNTs) in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas. We also supported 114 health facilities by deploying surge medical teams, filling gaps in quality service provision, pharmaceutical support and capacity-building training for healthcare workers.

In 2024, 761 health workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and health extension workers, were trained on integrated disease surveillance and public health emergency management (PHEM), vaccine preventable diseases (VPD), rapid response teams (RRT), integrated management of neonatal and child illnesses (IMNCI), infection prevention and control (IPC), expanded programme of immunisation (EPI) and pharmaceutical supply chain management (PSCM). We also supported health facilities with essential pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies, including IPC supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), and provided logistic support for last-mile delivery of medical supplies. We rehabilitated 10 damaged health facilities and strengthened referral systems, helping to restore health services and strengthen the health system.

International Medical Corps has also actively worked on strengthening government capacity to prepare for, investigate and respond to disease outbreaks and address emergency health needs. We have actively responded to multiple outbreaks of cholera and measles in different regions, supported routine and supplemental immunisation campaigns, and enhanced the real-time surveillance and rapid response capacity of health structures. Our support for preparedness capacities included malaria and Mpox.

Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) and HIV/AIDS

With an estimated 267 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, Ethiopia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. International Medical Corps is committed to safeguarding the reproductive health of Ethiopian women and girls. Since 2013, we have implemented MNCH and HIV/AIDS-related emergency and development programming, and strengthened local capacity, providing lifesaving healthcare in Afar, Gambella, Oromia, SNNPR and Somali regions.

In 2024, we provided training and mentoring support to 419 healthcare providers on basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC), family planning and CMR/intimate partner violence, and 175 health extension workers on maternal and newborn health (MNH). International Medical Corps also provided MNH services, including antenatal care for 28,187 pregnant women, skilled delivery for 22,216 women and post-natal care for 11,758 mother-baby pairs. Adolescents were also reached through peer-to-peer edutainment and life-skills sessions covering topics including the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, preventing harmful practices like early marriage and female genital mutilation, adolescent and maternal nutrition, and cervical cancer screening and management. Our community outreach services raise awareness and mobilise the community through house-to-house visits, tea-talk sessions and community groups.