Food Security Ethiopia Project #27163

East Africa Food Crisis

by ActionAid USA

Project Report | Oct 16, 2017
On World Food Day we are focused on East Africa

By Amy Leichtman | Individual Giving Manager

Eunice and Irene at the food distribution site

Today is World Food Day and at ActionAid we are focused on our work in East Africa supporting those affected by the drought and famine. This crisis has left over 14 million people across East Africa in dire need of support. As food insecurity persists, families are struggling to find enough food and water to survive, and many are having to make choices between sending their children to school and ensuring that everyone has enough to eat.

Ntamanyua is a single mother of two daughters, Eunice who is 8, and Irene who is 5. She told us "It has always been very hard because I cannot always find work. With no rains, it is even harder now." Ntamanyu, her mother, and her two daughters are a part of ActionAid's food distribution program, which aims to help the most vulnerable families.

Ntamanyua is sick with pneumonia and has not been able to collect food the way she had in the past. Additionally, she is unable to pay her daughters school fees, which means they are not able to attend. She said without the ActionAid food distributions "I do not know what I would do. I cannot think about it."

Thanks to your kind support, ActionAid has been able to reach over 260,000 people, like Ntamanyua and her family, in need of urgent support. We are working in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somaliland to provide families with food, water, cash vouchers, livelihood support, hygeinie kits, and other supplies to combat diseases which can spread quickly during a crisis like this one.

Additionally, we continue to look towards long term support by providing farmers with trainings on agroecology and planting drought resistant crops, and creating safe spaces for women and girls who are at higher risk of gender based violence during emergencies.

In honor of World Food Day, every donation you make today (October 16th) will be matched 100% by GlobalGiving while funds remain. With your continued support we are able to work with more and more communities to ensure that the most vulnerable people know their rights and have access to food and clean water. So thank you for all that you do to support our work, we couldn't do it without you.

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Jun 1, 2017
ActionAid partners with women to help ensure their safety and access to food

By Amy Leichtman | Individual Giving Manager

Hodan with her daughter

Right now, 22 million people across East Africa are in need of urgent help. They are facing a drought and famine that has been called “the greatest humanitarian threat in the history of the United Nations.”

The current crisis is especially difficult for women who are facing higher threats of sexual violence. Makena, Head of Programs for ActionAid in Kenya told us, “Women are having to trek longer distances to find water, in many cases they are walking an average of five and a half miles or more to find water. Women have said they feel vulnerable to being targeted in sexual attacks.” She continues “Women have also told us that they are no longer going into the forest to collect firewood because they fear attacks.”

This fear of attack is especially difficult for mothers, many of whom are forced to choose between caring for their kids and walking miles to try and find water that may not be there.

One such mother is Hodan from Somaliland. Hodan, is the mother of a baby girl and depends on her livestock for food and income. When the drought began, her flock of 40 sheep died leaving her with only 2 cows to make ends meet. When the cows are strong enough to make milk, Hodan sells it and uses the money to buy food for herself and her daughter.

To get water she must walk for miles with her daughter on her back, risking violence and fatigue. She loves her child deeply, often only eating one meal per day to ensure enough food is left for her daughter.

“If the drought continues I am scared my daughter might die. All the parents have that fear that if the drought continues their babies could die from hunger or shortage of water.”

Despite these challenges, Hodan is an incredibly strong woman. She has partnered with ActionAid as we provide food and water to 400 vulnerable families in her community. We are distributing rice, flour, dates, sugar, oil, powdered milk and more to ensure that mothers like Hodan can care for themselves and their children.

To date, ActionAid has supported over 128,600 people across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somaliland. We have worked with local women leaders to identify the most vulnerable households, and provide food, water, and hygiene kits to keep families healthy. We have also partnered with schools to provide feeding programs for kids, and encourage families to keep their children in school during this difficult time.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this project, we couldn't to this important work without you.

Links:

https://www.actionaidusa.org/

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