16/09/2026
Widowed a year ago, 29-year-old Mesigo Burea fled conflict in Dehable Koma village, Afar region, with her four young children. They found refuge at the Undufo Tele site for displaced people, but their shelter, a traditional Afar hut with no outer covering, offered almost no protection. "There was no difference between sleeping inside the hut or outside," Mesigo recalls.
With no income of her own, even a basic tarpaulin was out of reach.
That changed when her family was identified for emergency shelter support. Through its Common Pipeline, IOM provided shelter materials that complemented the response led by local partner Empowerment for Development (ED), and supported by the Ethiopia Humanitarian Fund, reaching Mesigo and 3,000 other households across Afar.
"Now, we are safe," she says.
To read Mesigo's story click the link in the Comments section.
Empowerment for Development | United Nations OCHA Ethiopia | UN in Ethiopia | International Organization for Migration- Regional Office in Nairobi | Empowerment for Development