Bardera town experiences cyclical river flooding as a result of heavy rains in the Juba Basin and the Ethiopian highlands. This year’s Gu long rainfall caused flooding which affected more than 4000 households by destroying livelihood assets including farm lands, irrigation pumps and crops, displacing families and damaging shelter.
| ACTED immediately conducted need assessment to identify the impact of the flooding, in order to take a quick action to support households in Bardera whose homes, livestock and farms were destroyed. The cash given allowed people to at least access their basic needs, taking into account that they may differ from one family to another. |
A triple-crisis: flooding, locusts and covid-19
Over the years, Bardera town experienced river floods as a result of heavy rains in the juba basin and the Ethiopian highlands. The heavy Gu rains which hit Bardera late in April caused massive destruction to the sources of livelihoods such as farm lands, irrigation pumps, shelter and crops. It also lead to the displacement of many families. With the compound effects of covid-19 restrictions; desert locusts that destroyed vegetation and crops; and road networks getting cut off disrupting supply of key commodities which subsequently increased market prices, the situation of many vulnerable people in Bardere changed from bad to worse.
Helping families rebuild their lives
| The emergency cash assistance helped the people of Bardera purchase their household needs. Beneficiaries were able to meet the basic need of their families. ACTED prioritized the most vulnerable, including households with young children and elderly people. With funding from Start Fund, ACTED provided immediate life-saving support through the distribution of unconditional cash to 900 flood affected households in Bardera. Bare Bayow Ali is a 67-year-old father of 6, and lives in Bula Kaskey village located at the Bank of River Juba in Eastern Bardera. He lives with his family in a semi-permanent shelter, and depends on his small-scale agriculture business. Unfortunately, the river flooding has swept away the ready-to-harvest crops in his farm leaving both his house and the farmland submerged. He says he had lost hope and wasn’t expected to receive any help. |
I have benefited a lot from the cash received from ACTED. Being a farmer, whose main source of livelihood was destroyed by the floods, the assistance by ACTED came in handy and in the right time. I have managed to buy seeds for my farm and I was also able to buy enough foodstuffs, I paid the debts that I owe the kiosks owners