ODA-ICDP/ Integrated Community Development Program

ODA-ICDP is an integrated community development program which is planned to be implemented in Kersa Woreda of East Hararge Zone and Oda-Bultum Woreda of West Hararge Zone.

The program is an integrated community development program which is intended to contribute to the improvement of socio-economic facilities and livelihood condition by creating sustainable access of basic education, potable water with hygiene and sanitation, health services and agricultural amenities to enhance quality education and productivity of the target communities.

ODA-ICDP is currently working in different components of the program with budget released from “A Glimmer of Hope (AGoH)” and “United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF” mainly on construction of Education Projects (Including re-construction and its full furniture supply), Health Projects (Including Health Centers and Health Posts with Dry Pit Latrine (DPL), Water Supply Projects (starting from drilling, Study and Designing, Installation, Distribution, and Construction Supervision,) and Irrigation Projects (Including Study, Design, Construction Supervision, and Construction). In addition to this, ODA-ICDP has been participating in projects sponsored by membership funds and Income Generating Activity (IGA) projects to benefit a total of 67,492 population in the project area.

Implemented ICD Projects

Water Supply Projects

Despite relatively adequate availability of potential water resources in Oromia, lack of clean and safe water supply has been the most critical problem during the program initiation in the operation areas. Almost all the communities of the operation districts have been using water from unprotected sources like Rainwater, rivers, traditional ponds, reservoirs, open wells and/or streams. The same sources of water were investigated to be used by both human and livestock. Conflict of interest in using water for water supply and irrigation were also observed. Rural people in Hararghe says, they have feet with which they can walk and search for water wherever it is, but their Green-Khat can’t move thus need to get priority for the supply of water. They even were seen piercing the DCI water supply pipe line by nail and the like to steal it for irrigation and livestock. This has shown that water is really beyond life for Hararghe people.

To address these and other related problems, ODA has launched four well drilling for groundwater harvesting, caping and developing of the harvested water, carryout pumping test, study its quality for checking its potability for drinking water with hygiene and sanitation and planned to construct the supply, storage and distribution system as well.

Although all the drilled groundwater boreholes have been completed and found productive, they all have not yet started giving service since the construction is planned to be implemented in 2024. However, one of the drilled boreholes is found artesian thus virtually the surrounding communities have started using the water for irrigation as well as drinking water by fetching it using buckets and surface pump. One of the beneficiaries of this well, called Nuriya Amin (who is 50 years old and she is a farmer who has eight children 3 male & 5 female, resident of Water Town, when asked, she said that, ODA-Glimmer has presented them not only a gift of God alone, which is water but also the invaluable fuel which would change their life for sure. She also mentioned that, value of water in Hararghe is beyond once expectation for us it is life.

School Services

The schools which ODA has been implementing are mostly situated in the marginal areas of Oromia. Thus, they are targeted at addressing those areas which could not be reached by the regional state due to budget limitation and/or inaccessibility. These schools have usually been concentrated commonly on Lower Primary School (LPS, 1-4), Complete Primary School (CPS, 1-8) and Higher Secondary School (HSS, 10-12), but rarely Higher Secondary and Preparatory School (HSPS, 11-12).

In all the cases, ODA has been constructing and furnishing the implemented academic buildings (of four class rooms as standard at each site) along with provision of Combined Desk with Chair, Teachers Table and Chair, Black Board, Notice board, Duster, and Dust Bin aiming to enhance quality education and productivity of the target communities.

Health Services

Health strongly influences the relationship between the quality of the work environment and productivity of human-being. Specifically, the relationship is stronger for people in good health. Thus, job quality needs a more prominent place in labor market policy. Knowing this is the critical conditions for the productivity and hence the development of our community, ODA has given due attention for the intervention of Health services in the selected program areas so as to attain the intended state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of residents in the project area.