Scottish Catholic Observer

Millions of people across the region are currently enduring by the worst drought in the region for 60 years.  The failure of seasonal rains over a prolonged period has led to major food and water shortages, crop failure and the widespread death of livestock.  High levels of malnutrition have been reported amongst children and hundreds of thousands of people are moving away from their homes in search of food, water and shelter.

SCIAF is working with its sister agencies and Church partners in the area to help the most vulnerable.

Lorraine Currie, SCIAF’s Head of International Programmes, said the charity needed donations urgently.

“This crisis has been building for a long time as successive rains have failed, crops withered and livestock have died.  Now hundreds of thousands of families are threatened with starvation on a massive scale if urgent action is not taken,” she said. “SCIAF is working with its Catholic sister agencies and Church partners on the ground to get supplies of clean water, food, temporary shelters, medicines and hygiene kits to the most vulnerable, including women and children. I would urge everyone to please give whatever they can, no matter how small, so that we can get more aid out to people in need.”

SCIAF works in one of the worst affected areas, Ethiopia. It shares a joint office in Addis Ababa with Catholic sister agencies Trocaire and CAFOD, and has already been running emergency drought relief projects in the Borena region, 560 km south of the capital Addis Ababa.  This has included providing livestock feed for 10,000 animals and rehabilitating traditional wells to increase accessibility to water.

A Borena resident, Halake Elmote (50), told SCIAF recently that the need was urgent.
“It takes 10 hours to get to the water point and you have to climb the mountain to get there,” she said. “The water is not enough even for the families and calves at home.  If it goes on like this, we’re wondering where we are going to be next.  We don’t know what will become of us.”

Members of the public can make donations to SCIAF’s Horn & East of Africa Emergency Appeal by visiting www.sciaf.org.uk <http://www.sciaf.org.uk/>  or calling 0141 354 5555.

SCIAF is not a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).