IMPACT Project – ERASMUS +

https://impact-erasmus.eu

 

 

Increasing Migration and climate change Public Awareness through Collaboration and Teaching

ETHIOPIA STUDY VISIT: March 12-15, 2024

 

What is this all about? In Africa, mainly in Ethiopia, there are several forms of migration that affect the quality of life of the population. One, if not the most disastrous, is directly related to climate. How is climate a factor that explains migration in large part? Why is migration in Ethiopia constantly increasing? Why migration plunges Ethiopia into critical situations for its future? These are broad issues for which different institutional meetings are necessary in order to find answers that make sense. If Europe wants to be able to represent accurately the reality on the ground, it must compare points of view and have direct exchanges with relevant actors who have studied the situation in Ethiopia.

What’s the objective? The objective is to study the situation to build an educational tool to raise awareness of migration related to the climate.

Target audience? Secondary school students in Europe.

How? Through a collaboration between members of schools and associations from 5 different countries (Ethiopia, Greece, Spain, Italy, and Belgium). Specifically, 4 international meetings will be held between project members (in Ethiopia, Italy, Belgium, and Spain). These will be supported by preparatory meetings (webinars), visits to institutions, and specific collaborative work to realize the teaching pack.

 

1^st – day : Tuesday 12th March 2024

Our meeting in Ethiopia begins on Tuesday 12 March 2024 in Addis Ababa. There, we are welcomed by the HESPI (Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute), a non-governmental institution that conducts research related to sustainable development. HESPI is also our direct collaborator on the project, representing Ethiopia at the various meetings in Europe. We follow Daniel, a member of HESPI, who will take care of the schedule of our visits and meetings.

The HESPI presents us a kind of inventory of the situation in Ethiopia: on the one hand, the country needs a global regulation on migration, and on the other hand, given the increase in the population, solutions must be found to create employment and reduce the poverty rate. In general, HESPI is seeking to improve the country’s economic and social management.

In Ethiopia, there are more than 120 million inhabitants and 70% of the population is considered «young» (under 30 years). Today, the country is facing a worrying situation: the population is migrating and leaving the country every day more!

Why is this happening? When you consider that most of the country’s economic resources come from agriculture, it is easy to understand that climate change turns out to be THE main explanatory factor of migration. 70% of the land is arid, and the country is affected by both drought and flooding. As a result, people are leaving the country.

Beyond climate-related migration, there are internal population movements that also affect the quality of life among citizens, which leads to conflicts! This situation is unknown at the international level, but Ethiopia is experiencing violent and armed situations mainly in the north of the country. Migrations are therefore also organized to the South.

Finally, the HESPI points out that the main goal of our educational project is to raise awareness among young people in Europe about the role of climate as a factor of internal and external mobility in Ethiopia.

Without real awareness, it is certain that migration will continue to increase simply because the population is becoming more and more vulnerable to climate change.

 

2^nd day : Wednesday 13th March 2024

• The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs:

What is the government doing about the HESPI findings?

According to the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, which we met as a first interlocutor, the government is aware of the situation and is actively involved in finding solutions to the country’s massive migrations.

It turns out that the government is trying to reduce migration by creating jobs for young people as well as to develop a «green» policy related to ecology. Indeed, the implementation of regulations related to climate change would protect and anticipate the future.

In addition, the ministry stresses the importance of promoting legal migration and compliance with existing protocols. The population migrates in dangerous conditions at the risk of their lives if they do not use the legal channels.

The government also dedicates part of the country’s economy to social reintegration by offering training (mainly commercial, technical, or related to catering sectors) in relation to citizens' choices to reduce other types of migration, those characterized by “economic migration” (not directly related to climate). In this context, the country must also face the failures of migration and the reintegration of the population can only be done with social assistance (housing, etc.).

Despite the government’s efforts, the situation reveals major concerns for the country’s future:

-  The jobs created are INSUFFICIENT

-  The types of jobs available do not match youth DEMAND (no work for engineers for example)

-  The country needs BUSINESSMEN to boost the economy and attract investors in certain sectors.

It should be noted that there are more than one million refugees in Ethiopia (from Somalia or Sudan). These migrants are often irregular and half of the them are women! They seek domestic work elsewhere (example: in Yemen).

This is because climate is the main factor of migration! Because of droughts and floods, the population has limited access to resources (water, food, etc).

 

• The Ethiopian Youth Federation:

 Although the government seems to be taking action related to migration and climate, other organizations are mobilizing in Ethiopia to contribute in some way to improving people’s lives. Thus, it is in the premises of the Ethiopian Youth Federation that we continued the day.

It is an association established since the 2000s that tries to raise young people's awareness about the meaning of migration by various means: redevelopment of the territory to make young people more aware of their ecological responsibilities and allow them to reclaim public places by sorting waste.

The main channel through which the association tries to act is COMMUNICATION. Communicate with young people on the ground but also through exchanges. The Federation aims to develop international relations to raise awareness and help young people face climate concerns.

For example, the Federation worked with the Ministry of the Environment to allow for tree planting and the creation of a park (by and for youth). In addition, it works with the Ministry of Justice to assist in the repatriation of illegal migrants.

More generally, the Federation is linked with international partners (e.g. “Safelight”, “Synergy”, etc.) also to fight unemployment in Ethiopia and enable young people to access employment legally. Indeed, there is an imbalance between diplomas issued and job offers in Ethiopia. In addition, the Federation allows young people to approach the world of work through volunteering.

How does the association put youth to work? It conducts interviews with young people who contact them to identify their skills or training needs. It also offers different tools (school supplies, etc.) but also adapted training to enable them to achieve a certain level of education and support them in their job search. Reducing gender inequalities in the treatment of the population is another major objective of the Federation.

The Federation also explains the urgency of reconsidering the potential of rural areas differently, which are a real problem for young people. Rural areas become unproductive because of the climate and this encourages young people to leave to retrain and find other lucrative activities to support themselves or their families. It is therefore essential to develop a policy on ecology and to make young people aware of the situation. This point is more related to our educational project.

Finally, the Federation calls for Europe! If certain actions are carried out to provide temporary aid, the Federation now insists on a more adequate way to support Ethiopia: learn what the country needs in relation to the actions that the Federation has taken! They are asking for a more appropriate support directly related to the field studies that have been carried out rather than spontaneous help. 

• The Embassy of the Netherlands:

We also had the opportunity to set foot in the embassy of the Netherlands.  We realized that Europe is actively working in Ethiopia on the fight against migration and the development of actions related to the climate.

Thus, the Embassy of the Netherlands has set up a «PROSPECT» program specifically focused on migrants. This program is organized in cooperation with 8 different countries.

The Embassy’s concerns are mainly based on four pillars of migration:

-  Education (because most refugees or migrants are not in school)

-  Inclusion (being part of society)

-  Social protection

-  Well-being

The Embassy stressed that migrants and refugees should’nt be confused.

We asked the Embassy what they thought would be the main issues to discuss with our young people in schools in Europe about migration and the climate in Ethiopia.

This led us to think about different points:

• Develop materials to raise young people's awareness of the three factors driving migration in Ethiopia: 1) climate, 2) internal territorial conflicts and 3) economic reasons. It's important for Europe to understand that the first factor is climate, not economics.
• Encourage young people to also ask themselves the question of migration in the other direction: why don't some Ethiopians leave? Because in reality, those who don't migrate form the majority of the population! There are attachment factors (such as family) and reasons linked to resources.
• There is a false perception: it's wrong to believe that the majority of migration is organized towards Europe! Actually, most migration in Ethiopia is internal to the country, or to Africa itself.

Understanding why people leave is important, but it is just as crucial to ask the question: "Why do many migrants return? There are many reasons, and the points of departure and return are diverse.

• Address the question: "How do you reintegrate into your country if you've been deported?
• Exploring the difference between legal and illegal migration.

 

• African Union:

The African Union then opened its doors to us. This is a large organization with some fifty members. It fights for the development of social measures linked to human rights. There is also an economic department working on climate issues to find solutions.

The institution points out that there are in fact vulnerable areas in Ethiopia, or at least, more vulnerable areas, and these are the ones that need help because the population can't find work there. Even if climate is a cause of migration, the AU tells us that we must also understand that migration has an impact not only on the territory, but also on the environment!

It is also important to understand the difference between 3 types of statutes:

- Expatriates

- Refugees

- Illegal migrants

Depending on the status in question, the problems encountered by some will be dealt with by a Ministry, while others will have to be referred to national Heads of State. However, when it comes to migration, the AU is trying to develop a local policy, as well as measures to protect migrants and provide assistance.They also stress the importance of conducting research! If you want to change things, you have to be able to prove what you need. And to provide proof, you need to carry out surveys, gather statistics and collect data! Without this, it's always difficult to defend yourself and find help.

 

What should we warn our young people about in European schools, according to the AU?

• The fact that climate change affects people's everyday lives. How are people's lives affected by climate change? How are cities affected?
• To the fact that there is a legal way of doing things when it comes to migration. Regularized migration exists.
• The fact that there are false representations about migration. Knowing how to get rid of them and seek information in the field to form a fair and unbiased opinion.
• When it comes to migration, we are talking about human beings! Human beings make their own choices, even when faced with rules and laws. They can choose to act one way or another. In other words, it's difficult to always have control over human beings. People think that banning migration prevents it. This is simply not true. Quite simply because the subject of migration is, above all, HUMAN BEINGS. And since the dawn of time, human beings have moved, migrated and moved by nature. Would it be possible to prevent or totally control this phenomenon?

 

3^rd day : Thursday 14th March 2024

• UNECA :

The last two days of work were organized around visits of various associations which finally emerge an observation: in Ethiopia, there are many initiatives independent of each other and yet working for the same causes, improving the quality of life of climate-affected and migrating Ethiopians.

More specifically, the UNECA aims to develop actions around a policy of social inclusion and the fight against poverty.

There are 6 issues around which they build their actions:

-  Population displacement and reintegration

-  Women and gender inequalities

-  Identity. When young people migrate, they have no legal identity because they are not registered   anywhere. The UNECA wants to promote the legality of identity.

-  Migration regulation (develop a protocol for mobility)

-  Migrant health and disease management

-  The issue of labour related to migration

The types of problems they are trying to deal with tell us one thing: migration puts people at risk, and Europeans are not aware enough!! This highlights the fact that insecurity reigns in Ethiopia.

We urgently need to modernize agriculture and find alternative solutions!

This means finding sustainable means of production.

 

• UNDP (United nations development program):

Plus axée sur les préoccupations climatiques, l’UNDP travaille sur différents projets en lien avec :

- Energy (renewable energies more specifically)

- Adaptation to climate change

- Sedentary agriculture

- Drought/natural disasters/floods

This association is committed to making a difference through schools.

They invite us to ask our young European young people about :

 

• Why does an African migrant choose to go to Europe? Some risk their lives and put their families at risk to do so. Is it necessarily to earn money?
• What goes on in a migrant's head? It's important to know that they have false ideas about the life that awaits them if they migrate! In Ethiopia, false ideals are planted in their minds, making them believe in a better, easier life, and making them think that it's "worth it" to risk their lives. Peer pressure (family, etc.) is also a factor that encourages people to leave.
• How can Europe effectively help Africa make better use of its own resources? Africa lacks engineers and people who are able to think about that issue. But it's obvious that creating jobs would help to solve the problem. In Ethiopia, for example, most of the population is young and, for the time being, ends up working in "shops". By developing young people's skills, Africa can expect to see some "business men”.
• How can a climate of peace be established in certain territories? Ethiopia is a transit country in Africa. It is therefore at the heart of migrations from other countries. Somali refugees, for example, are in Ethiopia. In addition, there is internal migration. All this helps us to understand why conflicts are sometimes inevitable.
• How to invest for the climate? In Ethiopia, there is little irrigation capacity on the ground, but plenty of infrastructure capacity! What's missing is the investment needed to regulate flooding.

The association points out that it is in fact impossible to prevent climate change. We can't prevent rain! That said, we need to develop PREVENTIVE measures to help us anticipate and not suffer climate change

 

Visit to a primary school:

 In Ethiopia, school is compulsory from the age of 6. In rural areas, the government ensures that children are collected and sent to school. A child who is not at school is then exposed to abuse (work, sex, etc.).

Children attend school on average until the age of 18. School starts around 8:30 a.m. and finishes at 3:30 p.m. What's more, most classes are held in English from the age of 6! As a result, English is widely spoken.

There are 3 types of school:

- Government schools (free)

- Public schools

- Private schools (a curriculum is imposed, but the school has a certain latitude to hire teachers according to the quality of teaching it requires).

The average salary for a teacher is between 7,000 and 10,000 birr (approx. 100 euros) per month! Salaries vary according to degree and school.

At school, teachers raise awareness of various climate-related themes:

- Trees and their importance for mankind and the planet;

- The impact of deforestation;

- Pollution.

- Water management.

 

These aspects are relatively undeveloped, and pupils learn about them mainly through books. The children we met were welcoming, smiling and warm-hearted. And yet, their classrooms are rudimentarily equipped: a few benches, faded walls and floors, a white cloth on the wall and a small table with a computer and projector for some teachers. Some classrooms don't even have windows. In others, bars secure the window overlooking the playground.

 

• IOM :

We end our day with a meeting with the head of the IOM.

This association focuses on the issue of mobility (internal/international/legal). According to the association, people migrate because of:

Conflicts

Climate

Social tensions

 

In this way, the IOM helps migrants in a practical way. Whether they are forced to leave or choose to do so, it is not without risk to their health and lives in general. The IOM can be there to help them on the ground, along the roads, through centers set up to supply water, for example.

But the IOM also acts upstream of migration. For example, the association has built an irrigation canal to prevent flooding in certain areas. They also provide training to help people find work. Migration is widespread and linked to Yemen, Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia. However, border controls reduce the number of actual migrations. In any case, we need to understand that explaining to people that they can't migrate is pointless! For this to work, we need to propose OTHER ALTERNATIVES to their situations. Because of poverty, an Ethiopian will take his chances anyway and migrate, rather than face certain death. That's why the IOM offers alternatives: psychological support, medical assistance and training.

 

4th day : Friday 15th March 2024

 

• The OWS Development Fund :

 

Our last day of work began with a meeting with OWS Development Fund, an association that aims to deal with the following issues:

 

- Health

- Education

- Protection

- Agriculture

- Peace and dignity

 

They also collaborate with some of the associations we visited (IOM, UA, etc.).

 

How is OWS involved in education?

There are children who don't go to school because of migration! The association fights against this. Because a child who doesn't go to school is subjected to various forms of abuse, or may even be the victim of a forced marriage! The association also provides washing facilities and toilets. This is what they mean by "working for dignity". In schools, they also renovate certain infrastructures. OWS works in two ways to combat the phenomenon of migration.

Make citizens aware that they have a role to play and a share of RESPONSIBILITY in participating in aid projects.

Schools also have a role to play here. That's why they are also offering to train teachers in certain subjects, and to give access to various jobs. We need to recreate a certain confidence in training for the future. Distribute goods and help in the field. The aim is to ensure that the population has access to a more secure life. OWS also provides TECHNICAL SUPPORTS.

• The AFM :

Our last meeting takes place on the premises of the association for "forced migrants". They mainly promote legal migration and fight against illegal migration, which they call "forced migration".

The association's main message:

The AFM wants to draw our attention to the fact that, in its view, America and Europe are not saving the world! The members would like us to become more aware of the way in which we pollute throughout the world, affecting countries such as Ethiopia in particular. Europe and the United States should now consider Africa as a partner in tackling climate change together, while being aware of the realities on the ground in Africa.

 

This was the first face to face meeting (study visit) of our Erasmus+ project team. The team will continue to work online and will meet again at October 2024 in Italy.