CRS — Ethiopia: A sustainable approach to food security
On August 28, 2023, illuminAid and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Ethiopia launched a four-day workshop in Adama, Ethiopia. The goal of this workshop was to support the Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP) in addressing severe food insecurity in Ethiopia. Several organizations collaborated on this project, including CARE, Food for the Hungry Ethiopia, Hararghe Catholic Secretariat, Meki Catholic Secretariat, Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara, Relief Society of Tigray and World Vision Ethiopia.
illuminAid provided JEOP with essential tools such as cameras, projectors and solar kits. This equipment enabled JEOP to establish direct communication channels between its Addis Ababa staff and leaders in areas with limited or no access to telecommunications or the internet.
Given the limited access to information on contemporary agricultural methods through technology-based platforms, these communities' remote locations and transitory practices make them especially susceptible to food insecurity. By providing video tools such as cameras, projectors and rechargeable solar kits, illuminAid and CRS equipped these communities with the capacity to develop educational content that is easily accessed by community members without the need for an internet connection. Access to such materials will allow for the refinement of agricultural practices, resulting in increased production and improved food security.
In the past, support for these communities has been provided through a Trainer-to-Trainer (ToT) approach. This method involves one person learning a skill and then teaching it to others in the community. The challenge with this approach is that the message can lose its potency as it's retold by different parties. In response, illuminAid has helped local government and community leaders to empower their members with refined agricultural practices through the use of pre-recorded video.
illuminAid helped workshop participants understand how video can be an influential tool to circulate awareness and set in motion the knowledge necessary to diminish food insecurity and foster a higher quality of life. Throughout the workshop, illuminAid staff gained a greater appreciation of the unique geographical, infrastructural and economic challenges that CRS and their partners face in their goal to invoke permanent behavior change regarding food insecurity. Through this initiative, illuminAid and CRS were able to ensure JEOP's implementation of a community-based early warning system that alerts community members to risk knowledge, monitoring, communication and increasing risk preparedness. Specific videos produced included information for community navigation of flood and drought risks, guidelines for managing the impacts of deforestation, and methods for sustainable farming practices and greater crop yields.
illuminAid is grateful for the support and collaboration of CRS and looks forward to future opportunities to provide video equipment as a means of changing behavior.
