Hunger crisis in East Africa
Christian Aid issues a new plea for global action
Christian Aid is issuing a renewed plea for urgent, comprehensive global action to help the twenty million people affected by food shortages caused by severe drought and conflict in East Africa.
Speaking from Nairobi, Kenya, Christian Aid’s regional humanitarian adviser Mbaraka Fazal said: ‘In 2017 it is a scandal that anyone should starve to death. Yet that is the reality facing millions of people – from babies to the most elderly. As an international community, we cannot just sit by and watch from the sidelines. We can, and we must, do more. We need extra funding to help women, children and men not only survive, but also rebuild their lives.’
In Kenya and Ethiopia persistent drought and poor rains have driven people to their limit: harvests have failed, water sources have dried up, and cattle – the life-source for many – have died in their thousands. In South Sudan violent conflict has forced millions to abandon their homes and land, with more than half of the population severely short of food.
‘In terms of scale and intensity, this is the worst disaster that I have seen in my twenty years as a humanitarian worker, and the worst in our generation. It is certainly the most severe crisis that Christian Aid and our partners here in East Africa have dealt with,’ said Mbaraka Fazal.
Christian Aid’s emergency fundraising drive for East Africa’s hunger crisis has raised more than £2.1 million in six months, with the agency and its local partners helping nearly 75,000 people across Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan since February.
‘However, over sixteen million people are affected by this catastrophe,’ said Mbaraka Fazal.
He added: ‘Together with other national and international aid agencies, we are only touching the tip of the iceberg. We can’t sit by and watch a generation of children die before they have had a chance to live. We need to act now.’
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.