Drought threatens 20 million people

According to CARE’s 14 September drought report, the cloudless skies over the Horn of Africa were threatening the health and wellbeing of up to 20 million people. Severe drought conditions have continued to plague Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, in all of which the weather was a life and death issue. Widespread crop failure and politcal instability had disrupted trade, and families had been robbed of their primary source of food and income, CARE added. Many people had been reduced to eating one meal a day and malnutrition had reached dangerous proportions, especially among children, the elderly, and pregnant and nursing women. CARE’s response in each of the five countries was as follows: In Kenya, CARE, was feeding the most vulnerable, repairing and constructing water systems, and training men and women in disaster prevention activities, such as erosion and control. In Eritrea, CARE was helping people recover from the dual crisis of war and drought, distributing food and seeds, conducting land-mine awareness training and demining, as well as providing care to those displaced by the war. In Ethiopia, where 40 percent of households lack the means to grow, buy or barter for food, CARE was working with international partners and the Ethiopian government in providing food, seeds and logistical assistance in the areas of greatest need. In Somalia, where floods, droughts and poor quality seeds had limited crop yields for the past five years, CARE was working to improve food production by distributing high-quality, locally grown sorghum and maize seed. In Sudan, CARE was working extensively with the UNHCR in providing food, shelter, camp logistics, clean water and sanitation for Eritrean refugees who had previously fled to Sudan to escape war.