ETHIOPIA AT A GLANCE |
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Population: 77.4 million
Avg. income per capita: 30¢ per day
People needing
emergency aid: 3.5 million
% of population
who are malnourished: 33%
For children < 5 yrs,
% of deaths due to malnutrition: 50%
Sources: UN/FAO |
When the Rains Come
too Late…
The rains came too late – and
too hard – for drought-stricken East Africa,
and have actually increased the suffering for many
people living in the region.
The UN estimates that some 357,000 people have been affected, and the devastation continues to spread. This includes: :
Homelessness: Hundreds
of thousands of people have been made homeless
and
thousands
have died as a result of flooding caused
by torrential rains falling on the region’s
drought-hardened ground. The UN has launched an emergency
appeal for $18.35 million to provide food, shelter
and medicine to those struggling to survive.
Disease: Deadly water-borne
diseases now pose a serious threat to children – particularly
small children under the age of five. Immune systems
were seriously weakened during the prolonged drought,
leaving victims with little defense against disease.
Loss
of Livelihood: An estimated 50 percent of the local animal stock
perished during the drought, leaving hundreds of
thousands of families without means of future survival.
As one aid worker put it: “Rain cannot bring back the animals
that were these families’ only livelihood.”
Diminished
Harvest: The hard rains washed away young crops in many areas,
setting the stage for another cycle of food shortages.
The current harvest is estimated at only 40% of normal.
School
Dropouts: Thousands
of children have dropped out of school as a result
of the drought –because their families have
been uprooted and/or because they must now find
ways to contribute to their families’ survival.
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Sustained
malnutrition can permanently damage a child’s
mental faculties, thus destroying their hope
for a productive future. |
What
Is Needed
• Hunger
Relief
Child malnutrition rates in the region are
over 30 percent and rising, with increasing risk
of permanent retardation and death. The risks are
highest for small children under five, whose small
bodies don't have the strength or reserves to sustain
prolonged hunger. CHRF has made em-ergency relief
trips into Kenya and Ethiopia, with additional trips
planned in the coming months.
• Water & Sanitation
Many water sources have been contaminated by dead animals. CHRF is working
with local partner Lifewater Kenya to evaluate options for rehabilitating
or drilling new bore holes.
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As the food supplies dry up, animals
are the first to die. . . Next are the small
children |
• Disease
Prevention
Children who are weakened from mal-nutrition are at much higher risk of dying
from diseases which would not normally be fatal. CHRF will continue to fund
child im-munization programs in the drought-affected areas via our mobile
medical clinics. We will also continue distributing Vitamin A and other sup--plements
to boost children's immunity.
What We're Doing
During our June 2006 Ethiopian Relief Trip, we were able to deliver some 85 tons of food to the drought-stricken communities of Angacha and Gibe.
This translates into around 423,500 life-saving meals.
Children’s Hunger Relief Fund will continue to fund relief trips into Eastern Africa to provide food relief to drought victims. We will also continue to fund longer-term water and immunization projects through our local partners. We invite you to partner with us in this life-saving work.
Average cost to provide relief:
· $0.09 for basic survival rations (2x a day = $6 a month)
· $0.15 for basic rations + beans (2x a day = $9 a month)
· $0.25 for high-nutrition meal (for malnourished, at-risk children)
$20 a month can save an at-risk child in the famine-affected areas from starvation or permanent retardation. |
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