Practices and Challenges of Implementing Urban Safety Net Program in Ethiopia The case of Gulele sub city, Addis Ababa

Abstract

Ethiopia may be a country that has long faced difficulties related to food insecurity in the provinces and is gradually facing similar new difficulties related to food insecurity in the cities. The objective of the study was to assess the practice and challenges of UPSNP in Addis Ababa Gulele Sub-City. A mixed methods research approach was used for the study: 130 households were selected for the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and secondary data such as UPSNP manuals, annual reports and Woreda project master list. The information was organized, entered into the computer using SPSS version 20 software, analyzed, and interpreted to determine possible outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the practices and challenges of the urban safety net program. The results show that the cost of living caused by Covid19 and the war in the North had a negative impact on the implementation of the program. Beneficiary families were forced to use the 20 percent savings that were supposed to be invested in work at the end of the program for food consumption; some program beneficiaries were forced to reduce their food consumption due to the cost of living.To further improve the practice of the program, food assistance or subsidy should be provided to beneficiary families in addition to financial assistance in the face of inflation. It is recommended that coordination between executive agencies and stakeholders be strengthened, that education about the program be increased, and that the safety net office be established independently and has its own director.