Perceptions And Socio-Economic Challenges Of Covid-19 On The Livelihoods Of Urban Poor Householdsin Selected Woreda Of Lideta Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

The current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 is expected to have significant challenges in urban areas, where population densities are high, health and other public services are often poor, livelihoods are precarious, and a range of other factors often have challenge on people’s lives. Therefore, the general objective of this paper was to assess perceptions and socio-economic challenges of covid-19 on the livelihoods of urban poor households in selected Woredas Lideta sub-city. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were employed. Data were collected from. A total of 204 household respondents, 2 FGDs and 15 KIIs. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study include most of the respondents had good knowledge on covid-19 disease symptoms, vulnerability and mode of transmission but they have poor knowledge of ways of prevention, the challenges of the pandemic on household access to basic services like health is very huge, access to medical treatment, availability and prices of medicines and purchasing power of respondents to get medicines have been challenged. Economic challenges of COVID-19 on the livelihood of urban poor households: -household income drastically reduced. Based on these findings the following recommendations are drown. Government and Non-government organization should conduct awareness raising campaign on a continual basis to awake the public on the Covid-19 prevention measures unreservedly, government should maintain and strengthen access to health service for both the covid-19 and other patients, government should facilitate for the involvement of both local and international NGO in the study areas to make well designed intervention to enhance the food security situation of household in the research area and Local government, private sectors and NGOs jointly work on economic empowerment of urban poor households through provision of revolving fund and working areas.