East Africa food crisis, 2006

21 April 2006

In April 2006 Y Care International launched an emergency appeal for communities affected by the worsening food crisis in East Africa.

We supported the relief efforts of YMCAs in the region, and the work of members of the global alliance ACT International in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Malawi. Donations to the appeal went towards urgent food aid and other relief work.

The crisis left over 10 million people in urgent need of aid. The failure of the annual rains in 2005 triggered the emergency, but it had been developing over recent years with poor or no rainfall.

Those most affected were communities which depend on crops and livestock for their survival but both were in depletion as the situation deteriorated. As water sources dried up, famine conditions and deaths were reported.

In one of the worst affected countries, Kenya, the President declared the famine a ‘national disaster’ – 3.5 million Kenyans faced starvation. In Malawi, the rains were as normal until January 2005, when they stopped three months early, severely damaging crops.

Money donated to the appeal helped save lives where malnutrition became severe and helped people survive day-to-day. Y Care International’s partners addressed the immediate food and water needs of the worst affected communities by distributing food, water tankers for domestic and livestock use, as well as drilling and repairing boreholes. Long-term needs were also addressed, such as restocking farmers’ cattle and seed stock in preparation for the next crop season.

As well as emergency food distribution, YMCAs in the region provided a health centre and income generating activities, as well as planning education to give people the skills to cope with drought in the future.