East Africa Food Crisis

Thank you so much for your support of this project. I’m writing to share some updates from ActionAid’s emergency response to the East Africa Food Crisis. We appreciate you taking the time to learn about and act in response to this crisis. 

Right now, East Africa is facing one of the worst droughts on record with more than 20 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somaliland, and Somalia facing severe hunger and water shortages. Global food prices had already reached record highs when the war on Ukraine began, due to the impact of the COVID-19pandemic, climate disasters, and rising energy costs. Now, communities have reported soaring food and fuel prices. Drought, displacement, and rising hunger are also putting women and girls at increased risk of gender-based violence. Taiwo Ajose, Interim Country Director for ActionAid in Somaliland,reports: 

"People in Somalia and throughout East Africa have been suffering for months while the rest of the world watches, doing little – if anything –to provide support. The reality is that mothers are watching their children die entirely avoidable and preventable deaths. The situation here is already catastrophic."  

As we work to support people in the region, ActionAid has provided more than 93,000 people in Kenya with cash transfers, water and food,and school food programs, we have supported almost 28,000 people in Somaliland with cash transfers and provided fruit and vegetable gardens and worked to support women in Ethiopia with safe spaces to provide counseling to 2,000 survivors of gender-based violence. We have also worked to provide dignity kits to women across East Africa which contain traditional clothes for women, underwear, menstruation pads, and soap. As the crisis continues to evolve, we remain committed to providing short and long term support to impacted communities. 

Now more than ever, your commitment to human rights makes a difference. Thank you again for your solidarity and support.