The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing what is described as the worst drought in 60 years, with over 10 million people in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Dijbouti affected, says Concern Worldwide, Ireland’s largest humanitarian agency.
It hasn’t rained properly in the region for two years. Five of the past seven years have seen chronic drought due to poor or failed rains. Pasture is now depleted, livestock is dying in large numbers and many coping mechanisms have been exhausted.
Concern staff on the ground in Somalia report that people are travelling for weeks, with few-to-no possessions, in order to reach help in urban areas and neighbouring countries.
“People who have lost everything have arrived in Mogadishu for assistance, but for some it’s too late,” says Sarah Robinson from Concern Worldwide in Somalia. “A combination of hunger and despair mean that many people simply go to sleep and do not have the energy to wake up.
This has potential to be as bad as anything since 1991, she added, referring to a major famine that killed an estimated 250,000 people and left two million displaced.
Children are being particularly affected by the lack of food and water; in some areas Concern staff are seeing malnutrition affecting over 30 per cent of children, one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world.
The victims include Moana Macalin Mohamed, a 24-year-old mother of three young children, including Anas, an 11-month-old boy. “My child is so sick I don’t know what to do,” she told a staff member at the Concern-run outpatient centre in Mogadishu’s Shabelle camp.
It is expected that the boy will recover from his illness as he is treated at the centre with plumpy’nut, a nutrient-rich food. “But there are thousands of other children like Anas,” says Robinson.
The organisation says it began warning about the current crisis several months ago and started responding immediately.
“Concern has worked in this area for 25 years,” says Robinson. “We’re one of the few international agencies currently working in Somalia and we’ve been responding to the needs of the emergency since its onset in late 2010.
“We’ve reached over 200,000 people so far with clean water, food and nutritional care, but more needs to be done.”
- To donate to Concern’s emergency public appeal, call 1850 410 510 or visit www.concern.net/drought
Tom Arnold is CEO of Concern
