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For many Ethiopians already struggling to make ends meet, the possibility of not being able to work is a bigger concern than the coronavirus.
WWhen Mesele Geletu and his friends escaped the harsh life outside Arba Minch in the Southern Nations and moved to Addis Ababa five years ago, they could not have imagined that life in the Ethiopian capital would be an even greater struggle for survival. . From “illegal” street vending to work on construction sites, finding a steady income has been the main focus of their lives.
Now in his twenties, Mesele’s job of shining shoes in the city has barely been enough to survive. For the past month, however, that survival has been in double jeopardy: this is the age of COVID-19.
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the world to Africa, it has begun to take root in Ethiopia. Shortly after the first two deaths from the virus were reported on April 5, the government declared a five-month national emergency and one month of national prayer. To date, 140 cases have been confirmed in the country, with three deaths.
The central government has also instituted a series of preventive measures. Land borders are closed to all less essential shipments; 14-day quarantine has been entered; Nonviolent prisoners have been released; closed schools, churches and mosques; social gatherings and transportation services have been limited; and a flexible state of emergency enacted.
But as the number of cases increases day by day, although not exponentially, the growing fear among poor workers in Ethiopia is how they can survive if current practices of social distancing are followed by stronger restrictions. The virus has brought home the reality of its vulnerability.
“I can’t survive without going to work every day,” says Mesele. “Total blocking poses an existential threat, as I am losing my random customers from the street.”
Mesele and his friends work around congested Megenagna Square, earning 85 to 110 Ethiopian birr (an average of $ 3.50) per day. Much of that is spent on food. Her monthly rent of 1,500 Birr is shared with two housemates.
Mesele Geletu at work; April 8, 2020; Yared Tsegaye
According to the recent estimate by the Federal Job Creation Commission, there are almost 1.9 million self-employed companies in Ethiopia’s cities. Most are in the informal services sector, such as Mesele. Given the uncertainties of the COVID-19 crisis, the commission conservatively estimates that around 750,000 jobs could disappear in the next three months, most of them in cities.
Another concern is that the true number of unemployed had been growing even before the coronavirus crisis. Many are suffering, but those in the informal sector are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, and those already on the edge are in greater danger.
Selam Samuel, a single mother, still has her job as a cashier at the Raey (Vision) cafe and restaurant on the CMC road in Addis Ababa. She says being fired would mean living on the street with her daughter.
“The future is scary. If there is a closure or the restaurant tells me to stop working, I cannot pay the rent for my house and I have nowhere to go. Even if I want to stay at my parents’ house, they are very poor and trust me, “he explains to Ethiopia perspective.
Raey Café owner Nega Abebe has created a business known throughout the area for the variety of dishes it serves. “We used to sell 600 to 700 meals a day with injera. Now we are selling up to 150, “he says. A menu item with injera It sells between 50 and 70 birr, depending on the spice with which it is served.
Nega fears that if the coronavirus crisis continues, it could force the restaurant to fire staff. So far, he has chosen to stay with his employees because he sees them “as a family” and knows their financial problems.
“We can only trust God,” said Nega in a sad voice. “Hunger is cruel and can make people oppose their true nature. This is on all of us with COVID-19. “
Ethiopia’s COVID-19 dilemma
Uncertainty involves the spread of the virus and the most appropriate method to combat it.
Larger companies, such as the East African Bottling Company, which distributes Coca-Cola locally, have been forced to cut the number of casual employees at its bottling plant in Addis, increasing the number of unemployed in this precarious urban economy. . But these same companies are donating to the fight against the virus and supporting those in need.
Some Ethiopian regions have already tried pain from blockages. Amhara, after COVID-19 cases were reported, issued an order limiting movement in parts of cities and towns such as Bahir Dar and Enjibara; creating a strange setting where people have jobs but there is no way to earn a living. “We couldn’t go out and buy food even when we had money,” said one resident. Ethiopia perspective before the region lifted the two-week ban on April 14. The removal of those regional restrictions occurred after the federal government introduced a nationwide state of emergency.
Apparently, the more serious blocking measures taken by other regions are being eased. Tigray, who disagrees with the central government and shows growing signs of autonomy, is a testament to that. The move is an indicator of the inevitable effect of the COVID-19 fight on the poor, after Tigray saw difficulties in the daily lives of many Ethiopians.
Last week, to get commercial activities back on track, the region facilitated measures to allow movement of people and transport activities within the range of wereda. Beauty salons, shops, cafes and restaurants, among others, have returned to business, although local officials are closely monitoring them.
Elsewhere, poor households living on low incomes were already feeling the shock in their lives, comforted only by the belief that “this will also happen.” Still, imagine the anxiety of not knowing how long restrictive measures would last, when hunger is a greater fear than the virus.
The poorest of the poor
“This is not the United States,” says Ethiopia’s key finance minister, Eyob Tekalign, explaining that Ethiopia does not have the deep pockets necessary to support everyone in this time of crisis. “You cannot go to Congress with a two or three hundred billion dollar stimulus package and send checks to individuals,” he said during a recent webinar titled “Economic Impact of COVID-19 in Ethiopia.”
The government has adapted its response to the twin health and economic crises, while expecting the pandemic to be short-lived. But until now, officials have not done everything possible to design a pro-poor preventive strategy as an alternative to limit the activity of poor households and medium-sized businesses.
The term “poorest of the poor” has been used by consecutive Ethiopian administrations to refer to the most vulnerable. It is also used in the current COVID-19 response plan. “The most ambitious mapping was done,” says Eyob, using Addis as an example. “We know people who are highly vulnerable.”
But Eyob’s plans are a small consolation among the urban poor, especially since the pandemic is expected to exacerbate the depths of poverty, not to mention the increasing number of people needing assistance in the cities. We are now looking at cases in the Bole sub-city, which includes 15 weredas within it, and it is one of the ten sub-cities under the Addis Ababa City Administration.
By April 15, Bole had identified 50,602 residents as economically vulnerable to the pandemic, according to Tilahun Fekadu, executive director of the sub-city, who spoke with Ethiopia perspective while distributing an Easter gift from his administration.
Zereay Deres, leader of the Bole Sub-City communications team, said the list of economically vulnerable residents came from existing poverty rolls and would be reached “with food and financial resources raised.”
But that estimate apparently does not include “the new poor workers,” those who had lost their jobs or been laid off since the pandemic hit. Some complain about the evaluation process as it applies to the COVID-19 response. Selam Samuel is one of those who fear that the government cannot identify many of the true economic victims of COVID-19.
According to a central statistical agency In October 2018, almost 19 million people comprised the urban population. Of the total, 9.7 million were economically active, with 7.5 million of those employed, many in the informal sector. That leaves 1.8 million unemployed and an urban unemployment rate of 19 percent, with higher youth unemployment.
The City Administration’s Resource Mobilization Committee is now working with sub-cities to primarily provide non-cash items for the poor. In an interview with Ethiopia perspective, a member of the Anchinesh Tesfaye committee, says preparations are underway to meet the expected increase in need.
“There is a block identity system (up to 100 households). We have identified low-income households in this regard in 121 weredas and their needs calculated in line with what is available, “he said.
Raey Cafe staff pray for Ethiopia to be saved with COVID-19; April 8, 2020; Yared Tsegaye
Still, ambiguities abound with the screening. While examining those in need, some weredas in all sub-cities the figures are mixed with the World Bank-backed Urban Safety Net Program, which pays people to perform tasks such as cleaning streets and picking up litter.
According to data from last year, there are around 604,000 beneficiaries in this program, and 6 percent receive direct support, including cash injections. About 200,000 of these beneficiaries are in Addis Ababa. A recent letter from the Kolfe Keraniyo Sub-City Food Security and Job Creation Office commits beneficiaries to use half of their savings from the Urban Safety Net for emergency needs during COVID-19 and then try to replenish savings after the pandemic subsides. Some beneficiaries said they had no idea how they would do this.
The national resource mobilization committee COVID-19 has also been stockpiling supplies in preparation for the worst, although there are some signs that Ethiopia is willing to prevent that. These resources are largely voluntary donations from individuals and groups, rather than from the government. Ethiopian citizens abroad are also collaborating to support these efforts through the council that heads the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund. They are believed to be disbursed across the country, including regional capitals like Adama, Hawassa and other cities like Dire Dawa, which are home to the most vulnerable urban poor.
Recently, Addis Fortune reported that the Ministry of Finance had submitted a request for $ 1.6 billion in emergency funding to a consortium of donors, the Development Assistance Group (DAG), in anticipation of the potential impact of the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund has agreed to provide emergency financing of $ 411 million. The Fortune report noted that the ministry had included an estimate that 10 million people would need emergency assistance if the number of victims of the virus increases significantly.
Food bank banking
Since March 13, when the first COVID-19 patient was identified in Ethiopia, markets have been crowded. Everyone seems to be preparing for the worst. Supermarkets have been filled like those with money who stock their baskets with whatever they can get. The poor do not have that luxury.
Takele Uma, acting mayor of Addis Ababa, announced that the city is opening 1,200 “food banks”, mainly mobilized by individuals and organizations. According to Anchinesh, accumulated raw food is stored in the 10 secondary cities, which are distributed according to address. On April 13, the city administration said it plans to reach some 400,000 homes with food banks up and running.
Most sub-cities also have food banks that primarily transport bagged raw food. But the amounts donated and the number of beneficiaries identified vary widely among woredas. For example, there were 57 food banks in the Kirkos sub-city with 85,000 identified beneficiaries and 67 food banks in the Lideta sub-city with approximately 17,000 identified beneficiaries, according to a report by the Addis Media Network administered by the city administration.
At a food bank Ethiopia perspective Visited in Kolfe Keraniyo Wereda 9 sub-city and Bole sub-city, wealthy residents have been donating all kinds of food, including spaghetti, macaroni, rice and flour. Still, considering the scale of poverty in the sub-city, some members of the resource committee fear that existing supplies will not be sufficient if the crisis continues for a prolonged period.
Messay Mulugeta, assistant professor of Socioeconomic Development and Food Security at the Faculty of Development Studies at the University of Addis Ababa, fears that existing response plans could fall short if the pandemic accelerates, given the existing realities of poverty They have not decreased, and unemployment has increased since the COVID-19 threat was first recognized.
In the process, Messay says, the government must ensure that citizens receive food in the worst case. Given the country’s precarious financial situation, he recommends that the authorities “change the budget already allocated for food services at government universities and school feeding programs, which would serve to cover some months.”
Messay says it is essential that there is an emergency package that is based on the experience of other countries and is sufficient to sustain lives no matter what happens.
For now, the situation remains under control, and authorities sometimes say no new cases were discovered in their daily announcements, but there are signs that the economic impact is increasing tensions and pressure.
In early April, the Addis Ababa City Administration moved the largest food market ‘Atikelt Tera’(Vegetable Area Area’) to Jan Meda. A crowded market, ‘Atikelt Tera ’ It was seen as a potential transmission risk for the coronavirus. By moving it to the extensions of Jan Meda (“the King’s Field”), a recreation area, the government aimed to reduce the risks.
But on April 29, there was a conflict in Jan Meda between The incident left seven people injured, city police said. A local broadcaster reported deaths, but the police denied the claim. Now, the use of the temporary market is being disputed by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which celebrates the celebration of the Epiphany in Jan Meda, which could generate more controversy.
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COVID-19 status panel
Editors: Peter Heinlein, William Davison
Main photo: Main photo: a food bank was established at the headquarters of the Sub-City of Bole, located around Megenagna; April 15, 2020; Yared Tsegaye
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