Ethiopia – IFRC GO
15 September 2026
Ethiopia faces some of the most complex and overlapping humanitarian challenges in the world. Conflict, recurring drought, flooding and economic instability have left an estimated 21.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Food insecurity is severe and widespread, particularly in the regions of Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Somali and Oromia. At the same time, Ethiopia hosts over 1.1 million refugees and has 3.3 million internally displaced people, placing enormous pressure on already stretched local systems.
At the centre of the response is the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. Established in 1935 and present across the country through 12 regional offices, 36 zonal branches, 132 district (woreda) branches and more than 5,000 Kebele committees, the Ethiopian Red Cross Society is one of the most deeply rooted humanitarian organisations in Africa. It is often the first to respond when disaster strikes, and increasingly, the first to act before it does.
What we work on
The Netherlands Red Cross supports the Ethiopian Red Cross Society across a range of projects and programmes.
Acting before disaster strikes
Across Tigray, Afar and Somali regions, disaster rarely arrives without warning. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society is strengthening how that warning turns into action, with technical support from the Netherlands Red Cross on early warning data and forecasting systems, working alongside government and local communities to prepare before drought, flooding or displacement hits.
Securing water in a changing climate
Ethiopia is among the countries most exposed to climate-driven disaster, and water systems in the Somali region carry that strain. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society is shifting toward sustainable solutions, from solar-powered systems to nature-based approaches that restore natural buffers, with support from the Netherlands Red Cross on water management and climate adaptation.
Getting cash to families fast
Cash assistance lets families choose what they need most, whether that’s food, shelter repairs or medicine, rather than having that decided for them. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society uses 121, a digital cash platform to reach affected families quickly during drought, displacement and other emergencies, with support from the Netherlands Red Cross, which helped bring the tool to Ethiopia.
Building an organization that lasts
A strong National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs more than good intentions in the field, it needs solid systems behind it. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society is strengthening its branches, diversifying its financing and rolling out new digital tools, with support from the Netherlands Red Cross on resource mobilization and digitalization.
How we work together
The Ethiopian Red Cross Society leads its own humanitarian agenda. The Netherlands Red Cross plays a supporting role, working from the belief that communities and National Societies are best placed to understand their own needs and lead their own response.
In practice, this means sharing technical expertise, particularly in water, climate & nature and data & digital, and helping connect the Ethiopian Red Cross Society to funding, knowledge and partners across the wider Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Support is aligned with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society’s own strategic priorities, not the other way around. The partnership is long-standing, and its direction is clear: as the Ethiopian Red Cross Society grows stronger, it takes on ever greater ownership of decisions, funding and delivery, with the Netherlands Red Cross stepping back into a more connecting, enabling role.
