Emergency Food Hampers Program

As a Muslim-majority region, the month of Ramadan is a cherished time of the year in Gadab Hasaasa.

But for the most vulnerable populations—orphans, people with disabilities, single mothers, the elderly, and the especially poor—this sacred month of food and fasting can be somewhat difficult to bear.

Fortunately, Ramadan is also marked by generous giving. It is this Islamic spirit of charity, coupled with Oromo hospitality, that forms the backbone of GHWRA’s first community project: Emergency Food Hampers.

Here’s how this works:

We purchase harvested crops and produce directly from local farmers to support the region’s economy, and distribute emergency food hampers to vulnerable families a week before Ramadan begins. Local youth volunteers are crucial to this work, and are offered a modest honorarium for their efforts.

In its first year alone, GHWRA raised $25,000 in grassroots fundraising across the Oromo diaspora, distributing food hampers to over 1000 families in the greater Hasaasa area in the lead up to Ramadan. Each food hamper consisted of 25 kilograms of wheat flour, one kilogram each of dates, sugar, and coffee beans, as well as two litres of cooking oil.

In 2022:

2022 marked our second run of emergency food hampers, and this time, it was with the incredible support of both Oromo and non-Oromo folks! Still rooted in grassroots organizing (with the added benefit of a LaunchGood campaign), we managed to raise $34,500, distributing food hampers to 2000 vulnerable families in the epicentre of Hasaasa, as well as the surrounding regional villages of Xameela, Hiinja, Nageelle, Safaraa Buchoo, Hanxoo, Qaawwa, and Allubba.  

Food hampers in 2022 looked significantly different from its inaugural precedent. In the wake of the current global food crisis, the price of food and produce in Ethiopia has skyrocketed, further jeopardizing food access for the most vulnerable populations of Gadab Hasaasa. Given food scarcity, our emergency food hampers this year each consisted singularly of 25 kilograms of corn flour and one kilogram of coffee beans.

In 2023:

Our third run of food hampers was a difficult one. With limited resources, inflated food prices, and drought threatening the region, our Emergency Food Hampers program in 2023 raised $27,750, enabling us to distribute bags of 25 kilograms of corn flour to approximately 2000 families in Hasaasa and the surrounding villages.

Here’s our wish for 2024:

We want our annual food hampers to include a healthy range of basic food and produce, such as wheat, barley, peas and/or lentils, oil, and corn. With even more support for families, we’d be able to offer:

  • mounds of sugar and salt

  • grains of pasta and rice

  • pints of milk

  • slabs of butter

  • bunches of dates

  • pouches of coffee beans

Here’s how you can help:

We’re a women-led, volunteer-run charity with a goal of ending hunger in Gadab Hasaasa.

Donate today to give the gift of food.

Your support would be utterly invaluable as we push towards our goal, particularly given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the current global spike in food prices, and continuing realities of political unrest in Ethiopia.