Rain ends drought, misery persists in Horn of Africa

Although rains have come to most of the driest regions of Eastern Africa, the United Nations estimates 750,000 people are at risk of dying in the coming months in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. 

“We’re not stopping. With the rains wecan’t just sit back and stop or ease back the response,” said Anna Miller, manager of humanitarian and emergency response at Save the Children Canada.

“For example in parts of eastern Ethiopia Save the Children is scaling up some of its supplementary feeding of children …to prevent them from falling back into acute malnutrition….The threats to health are extremely dire in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.”

Flooding has washed out roads and airstrips making food aid delivery a challenge.   

It also brings water-borne diseases like malaria, cholera and diarrhea.

Children who are already weakened by malnutrition are especially vulnerable to disease.

Conflict hampers aid agencies. Somalia’s terrorist group al-Shabaab has just banned 16 aid groups from its territory. The agencies warn of disaster if the ban stays in place.

Al-Shabaab has also seized property belonging to UN agencies and several non-governmental organizations.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the “brazen” action saying it prevented the relief organizations from providing life-saving assistance.

Livestock improving

Nearly a quarter million animals have died in Kenya alone due to drought. That means nomadic families lost milk to drink, beef to eat and the means to raise money for basic needs.

The rains have restocked ponds and now more animals are surviving and looking healthier. Some aid agencies are helping restock animals and vaccinate them against disease.

Donations are still needed to help provide aid. 

When the government of Canada promised to match their donations, Canadians contributed $70 million to a coalition of relief agencies. The government’s contribution will bring its total contribution to the relief effort to $142 million.

External links:

United Nations Key Messages on Horn of Africa 

United Nations news release Somalia: UN strongly condemns seizure of aid agency assets by insurgent group 

United Nations news release Crisis in the Horn of Africa 

Photo: Dollo Ado, Ethiopia, October 2011. A small girl is given porridge at the Save the Children´s wet feeding center in the transit camp in the outskirts of the city Dollo Ado.