Providing IDPs of Addis Ababa’s Koyefeche settlement with clean water and entrepreneurship support

Summary

Addis Ababa is a recipient of the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees (GCF), the Mayors Migration Council’s response to the unmet needs of cities as they support migrants, refugees, and internally displaced people.

The City’s project “Water Supply and Entrepreneurship for IDPs” will provide access to critical water infrastructure for over 1,200 IDP households living in Akaki Sub-city’s Koyefeche – an IDP settlement constructed by the Addis Ababa City Administration – addressing their immediate public health needs while improving their capacity to cope with future stresses. The Addis Ababa City Administration will provide improved access to water via the addition of new water mains servicing Koyefeche and reducing the cost of water bills for residents of the area, providing some financial relief until the IDPs become economically self-sufficient. The City Administration will also provide entrepreneurship training and financial assistance to 40 residents of Koyefeche, half of them women, interested in starting new businesses.  

The project will be implemented by Addis Ababa City Administration, through Addis Ababa Fire and Disaster Risk Management Commission and in collaboration with Addis Ababa City Resilience Project Office, Addis Ababa Cooperatives, Promotion Office, Addis Ababa City Water and Sewage Authority, and in direct consultation with the locally elected committees of Koyefeche.

Impact

1. IDPs in Akaki sub-city have access to potable water and improved public health.
2. IDPs in Akaki sub-city generate a sustainable income.
3. The Addis Ababa City Administration strengthens its inter-institutional coordination and delivers on national priorities to assist IDPs and other vulnerable groups at the city level.

The impact of the project will be evaluated through a grant report at the end of the Global Cities Fund grant term. This report will measure anticipated against outcomes and indicators developed at the start of the grant period against actual outcomes and indicators. 

Lessons Learnt

1. This is Addis Ababa’s first internationally-funded project focused on displaced communities and will address both their immediate needs and their preparedness to deal with future stresses.
2. Further, the institutional experience the city gains from this intervention will critically inform similar processes in other areas of the city or in other Ethiopian cities.
3. This project strengthens Addis Ababa’s collaboration with Global Cities Fund Strategic Partners: UN-Habitat, UCLG, IOM, and UNHCR.