Linking relief and long-term development activities in NGO projects of the SSE Programme in Mali, Eritrea and Ethiopia

The paper outlines an approach for integrated efforts and discusses whether integrated approaches should be pursued within the SSE context (or the Dryland Coordination Group context). It presents features of socio-political and policy conditions in the SSE countries and looks at the scope for integrating efforts, considering project area conditions as well as administrative and economic issues. Last, it reviews SSE NGOs’ project and program experiences and thoughts on integrating relief and development.

The paper concludes that to achieve the best possible preparedness and defence approach in project areas, NGOs should give primary emphasis to capacity and competence building of local partner institutions, as well as other institutions involved in relevant activities (e.g. food provisioning) at the local level. But these efforts can be supported through those suggested towards reducing macro-level constraints.