Christian Aid Launches New East Africa Appeal

Thursday July 21 2022

Adoko Hatoro Engang sits in front of a tent, his temporary home.  Drought and flash floods have forced him to leave his village with his family. Picture: Christian Aid/Meseret Abiy

Christian Aid has launched an emergency appeal to help people in East Africa survive a growing hunger crisis and is calling on the UK Government to 'speed up the delivering of funding that has already been promised'.

After the worst drought in 40 years, vulnerable people are now facing the threat of famine. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 18.4m people across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are missing meals.
 
Yitna Tekaligne, Country Director for Christian Aid Ethiopia, warns 'millions are taking desperate measures to survive in the face of failed harvests, livestock deaths, water shortages and extreme hunger'.
 
He added: “The severe conditions are being made worse by the climate crisis, Covid and now Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused global food prices to rocket. A tough situation has now turned into a dire crisis. To help us respond, please donate what you can. Acting now is also about hope - a hope you can create with a donation today.”
 
Working through local partners, Christian Aid is already responding in Ethiopia and Kenya. The charity is helping over 300,000 people by repairing wells, handing out water purification kits, providing cash support and trucking water to drought affected communities as well as providing fodder and medicine to keep valuable livestock alive. 
 
One of many people Christian Aid is supporting is Adoko Hatoro Engang. He is 76 and living in an internally displaced person camp in South Omo with his family. Recurrent drought and flash flooding has destroyed his farmland and depleted his livestock. This is causing hunger for his family. He said: “If I am able, I eat once a day. We only share very small amounts of food we cook, using the money Christian Aid gave us.”

Sally Foster-Fulton, Head of Christian Aid Scotland, said: “It is morally indefensible that our global neighbours, people like Adoko, are struggling to eat. Children and women are impacted the most by the hunger crisis and many children are showing signs of malnourishment.  

“The Scottish Government has just awarded Christian Aid funding from its Humanitarian Emergency Fund to help vulnerable families in southern Ethiopia, providing cash for food essentials and supporting those who urgently need access to essential health services. With your generous support we can do much more.”

Karimi Kinoti, who is based in Kenya and is Christian Aid’s interim Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns Director, said: “The response to humanitarian needs in Ukraine has been remarkable. The UK Government must now live up to its moral responsibility and urgently act in that same spirit for East Africa. Every day that we delay will make it more difficult to avoid tragedy. 
 
“Ministers must speed up the delivery of funding that has already been promised, reverse cuts to international aid and ensure all humanitarian and development funding supports local actors who are best placed to respond quickly.
 
“Longer term, we must also tackle the impact of the climate crisis on global hunger by delivering on our climate finance promises, including new money for loss and damage. By taking these steps we ensure a crisis like this will not deteriorate into a catastrophe.”
 
To donate to the appeal, please visit www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/east-africa-hunger-crisis-appeal 

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