In July 2011, the Horn of Africa was struck with a devastating drought. Millions of children were at risk of starvation, crops withered and the bodies of animals scattered the landscape.
ChildFund responded to this emergency by mobilising communities and providing emergency feeding, water and health care. These initiatives meant that affected families could remain in their communities, rather than being forced to leave home in search of food, making them stronger when the crisis was over.
An incredible 6,854 generous supporters responded to our Horn of Africa Emergency Appeal, saving the lives of thousands. In total, $991,061 was donated by the Australian public to ChildFund’s appeal; of this, $417,489 was matched dollar for dollar by the Australian government through AusAID. These donations helped provide life-saving nourishment to 74,860 children, women and men.
ChildFund was able to deliver these life-saving supplies to drought-affected areas in Kenya and Ethiopia:
- 580 tons of maize
- 498 tons of nutrient-rich porridge mix for children
- 120 ton of beans
- 59 tons of (cooking) oil
- 38 tons of rice
- 1.6 tons of sugar
Our team in Kenya also used donations to provide health monitoring and medical assistance to children and supply 558,000 litres of water to remote communities.
Very young children, who are particularly vulnerable in a crisis, and pregnant or breastfeeding women were the focus of our emergency response. Since the onset of the drought, when the food shortage was at its worst and the rains were nowhere in sight, ChildFund provided life-saving nourishment to 42,545 children under five and 9,186 pregnant or breastfeeding women.
We also assisted 20,866 older children and 2,263 women and men. Women like Beyenech (pictured above) from Ethiopia, a mother of four who was pregnant when the food crisis began. “My husband had to leave the area to look for work,” she told our staff. “We were alone. I was so worried my child would be born unhealthy.”
Beyenech received supplementary food and edible oil during the final stages of her pregnancy and regained enough strength to deliver a healthy boy, Dagmawi. “After the feeding program I delivered a healthy baby boy. I`m so thankful,” she says.
Birtukan, a 10-year-old girl from Ethiopia, recalls daily life as the crisis took hold: “I remembered that we used to eat three meals a day before the drought condition. But during the emergency period our parents could manage to feed us only once in a day. Most of the time, I had to go to school without food, feeling hungry and weak. My ability to listen to a teacher, to read and understand faded away. All my family lost hope. My father tried to work as a daily labourer and brought some money, which was not enough to fulfil the most basic need of my family, food. Now thanks to ChildFund, I could eat enough and attend school with full stomach.”
We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who helped people like Beyenech, Birtukan and their families in their time of need by donating to our emergency appeal.
Australians have donated more than $600,000 to ChildFund Australia to aid operations in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa. This support has helped ensure malnourished children receive food, water and life-saving medical support through childcare centres that have been transformed into emergency food distribution facilities.
The region will continue to rely on international aid for some months to come, as the November rains are expected to be insufficient. ChildFund staff in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have provided the following field updates on the current situation in each country.
ETHIOPIA – New crops are coming but food insecurity remains high
In the Siraro district, the nutritional status of children is showing signs of improvement as a result of the emergency food distribution by various organisations, including ChildFund Ethiopia. In addition, maize, vegetable and bean crops are now growing. One concern, though, is that new crops coming up will be consumed prematurely, reducing yield.
ChildFund Ethiopia has begun a second round of relief food distribution, transporting 247.5 metric tons of maize, 24.75 metric tons of legumes, 82.5 metric tons of cooking oil and 23.45 metric tons of nutritious porridge mix to Siraro. The food will be distributed to 16,500 people, including 4,300 children under 5 and more than 900 pregnant and nursing mothers.
Further interventions likely will be needed, including rehabilitating water points and pastures and replenishing livestock. The needs will be established in consultation with the community association and local authorities.
In the Sodo/Buee district, more than 22,000 people are experiencing food shortages. Working with our local partners, ChildFund is scaling up distribution of supplementary food for malnourished children and mothers who are identified as needing additional support.
There are reports of pest damage to some crops in this district. Thus there is concern that crop production may fall below estimates, further aggravating the food deficit during the course of the year.
KENYA – Preparing for long-duration drought
The number of extremely food-insecure people has increased from 2.4 million to 3.75 million Kenyans in the past seven months. Food prices in local markets reached record levels in July, diminishing families’ purchasing power. At the end of August, the World Food Program increased its targeted support to include moderately malnourished children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, by providing cooking oil and ready-to-use supplementary foods.
The water supply situation in all institutions and communities in Marsabit Central, including the town and the district hospital, remains extremely critical. None of the 36 schools and 11 health facilities in Marsabit Central has a reliable source of water nearby. They depend entirely on trucked water, mostly from overstretched sources.
ChildFund Kenya’s emergency response is targeting 50,000 children aged 5 and younger, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers in the nine affected areas where ChildFund works. We are reaching this population through already existing Early Child Care and Development (ECCD) centres. Current interventions are focusing on three key areas:
- Nutrition: Providing supplementary food at ECCD centres and nutrition education to parents.
- Water and sanitation: Improving access to water in the arid and semi-arid areas through trucking of potable water and providing water vessels and water treatment chemicals. To reduce disease risk, ChildFund is also providing hygiene education to all caregivers of children.
- Health: Continuously monitoring children’s nutritional status, providing vitamin A and iron supplements, deworming and treating minor illnesses. Referring cases that require further attention.
UGANDA – Flash flooding and landslides damage newly planted crops
Although the drought has not affected Uganda as severely as neighbouring countries, communities are worried about future food supplies, following heavy rains that caused flooding in Butaleja district and landslides in Sironko and Bulambuli districts.
The floods destroyed food crops and washed away recently planted seeds. Pit latrines also flooded and contaminated the water sources, leaving residents with water unsafe for human consumption. This has created fertile ground for diseases such as malaria and epidemics like diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera. The most affected community is Doho community, with close to 1,400 households in great need of safe water and help with restarting crops.
ChildFund is now working with communities in Uganda to plan for possible food shortages. Community members and parents are considering starting up ECCD centres early in October so young children will have at least one meal a day.
In the longer term, ChildFund may support parents in planting potato vines near ECCD centres to supplement food for the children. A primary goal is to sensitise households to the need to store food for hard times ahead and to take extra care with sanitation and hygiene to prevent disease.
To help support ChildFund’s work in the Horn of Africa, please make a donation today.
