World Bank Approves $300mln Grant to Support Conflict-Affected Communities

ADDIS ABABA – The World Bank on Wednesday said it has approved a $300 million grant to support the recovery of conflict-Affected communities in Ethiopia.

The grant will finance a Response-Recovery-Resilience for Conflict-Affected Communities in Ethiopia Project, which targets more than five million people.

“The project will support efforts to address the immediate needs of communities, rehabilitate/recover infrastructure destroyed by conflict and increase community resilience,” said the bank.

Specifically, the Bank said it will help to improve access to basic services, as well as rebuild climate-resilient infrastructure, prioritized by communities.

According to the Bank, the project prioritizes support to the Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, and Tigray regions, which, it said, have been highly impacted by the recent conflict and host large numbers of internally displaced peoples.

The project will be executed by federal, regional, and community-based organizations.

“It will also be implemented by independent third-party entities, particularly in high-risk areas with ongoing conflict,” the Bank said.

The project will also provide gender-based violence (GBV) survivors with improved access to the services.

“In conflict-affected areas, they are unable to get the support they need to recover from trauma and be able to move forward,” said Ousmane Dione, World Bank Country Director.

“This project will help to improve access to health, psycho-social support, and legal services for GBV survivors in conflict-affected regions where quality response services are limited,” he added.