Horn of Africa Food Crisis

The Horn of Africa countries – especially Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia – are suffering the most severe food crisis in 60 years. Close to 13 million people are now in urgent need of humanitarian aid and no likelihood of this situation improving until 2012.

Among the drought hit countries in Horn of Africa, Somalia's humanitarian situation is especially complicated not because of the drought but also the ongoing conflict in Southern Somalia which has restricted access for humanitarian agencies.

Children are especially vulnerable to food crisis. According to UNICEF, more than 1.6 million children are moderately malnourished and nearly 500,000 severely malnourished children are dying of hunger if no urgent life-saving actions.

211,000 children directly supported by World Vision in Kenya and Ethiopia live in areas under distress. In Somalia, more than 66,000 children supported by World Vision are in need of emergency assistance.

World Vision has been responding to the emergency since February 2011. The organization is aiming to help more than 2.5 million people in the three most affected countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Kenya
In Kenya, World Vision is working to increase access to safe water by rehabilitating boreholes and trucking water to vulnerable communities. The organization is also providing nutritious food through targeted, community distributions and cash voucher systems where food is available in local markets.

Ethiopia
World Vision is implementing a six-month emergency response to aid more than 485,000 people severely affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They will be provided with grain, seeds, livestock, and medical support, while vulnerable children and mothers will receive supplementary food.

Somalia
In drought-affected communities in Somaliand and Puntland, World Vision is drilling boreholes and rehabilitating clean-water storage facilities, as well as providing emergency feeding and cash-for-work programs.