East Africa Food Crisis Appeal

Since the East Africa Crisis hit the headlines WJR has been appealing to assist millions of people across the Horn of Africa facing severe food shortages. Sadly, over 12 million people across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti are still in need of assistance with famine expanding in Somalia while the food security emergency is deepening in the rest of the eastern Horn.

The area traditionally experiences two rainy seasons a year. The late 2010 rains failed completely and the April-May rains were significantly below average and very weak crop harvests ocurred as a result. With decreased amounts of grain available prices rose sharply further restricting those with few resources to be able to purchase sufficient supplies. Livestock prices have collapsed, reducing people's traditional capital asset value and ability to buy essentials.

Insecurity, the loss of grazing fodder, dried up water supplies and the absence of locally available staple foods, is forcing thousands of individuals to move to areas where supplies may be available. An estimated 3,000 people a day are arriving from Somalia in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia seeking assistance. In Dadaab, Kenya, for example, already the world's largest refugee camp - built to house 90,000 is today seeing its population of over 400,000. Refugees are spilling out into overflow areas around the main camps, where camp workers struggle to help them. It is reported that up to 10% of the children showing signs of severe acute malnutrition.

The UN has reported that the situation is the worst food security crisis in the world today. Not only are they facing hunger, but the loss of livelihoods of farmers and pastoralists, and putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of children at risk