No time to recover

Pastoralism in Ethiopia is more than a nomadic livelihood based on the wellbeing of one’s livestock. Pastoralist communities have shared a rich cultural history, a traditional support network, a unique economic system, and a collective social identity supported by kinship and clan loyalty. For centuries, pastoralist communities have moved through the Ethiopian lowlands effectively managing the potentially devastating impacts of severe drought, heavy rains and floods.

They have done so through a range of time-tested, culturally embedded strategies and techniques. But their climate is changing.

In 'No time to Recover' (from Save the Children UK & CARE International) meet pastoralist men, women and children who are doing their best to adapt to a changing climate. See how they are modifying their lives to adapt to increasing temperatures and drought frequency as well as unpredictable rains that are now falling in shorter but more intense episodes.

The film is based on scientific and community-based observations collected by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), CARE International and Save the Children UK (SCUK) during a 2009 study in the Borana and Shinile zones of Ethiopia.

The communities participating in the film and in the study have many ideas on how to prepare for future climate change, demonstrating a strong motivation to move out of poverty and take their future into their own hands.

Short version (below)             Click here for the long version (16 minutes)