The DEC today (Sunday) set out the reasons it feared that the current crisis in East Africa would become a catastrophe without a substantially greater international intervention.
The umbrella body representing the UK's 14 leading aid agencies explicitly rejected suggestions that aid agencies were 'crying wolf' and said instead that they were right to raise the alarm before the current crisis deepened.
It cited the following indicators that the current situation was far more serious than the frequent seasonal droughts in the region:
- In some areas the drought is the worst in 60 years according to an analysis by FEWSNET.
- More than 10 million people have been affected across a wide area of East Africa.
- Acute malnutrition (GAM) has reached 37% in some parts of north east Kenya, double the 15 % emergency threshold.
- Child refugees from Somalia are dying of causes related to malnutrition either during the journey or very shortly after arrival.
- Prices of essential food items have skyrocketed, in some cases more than doubling as the price of the cattle that people are selling to buy grain falls sharply.
- The number of refugees fleeing from Somalia has increased significantly with 1,700 a day arriving in Ethiopia and 1,400 a day arriving in Dadaab in Kenya.
Disasters Emergency Committee Chief Executive Brendan Gormley said:
"The accustation that aid agencies are crying wolf when we try to raise the alarm early enough to avert a major catatrosphe has become wholly predictable. We accept the need to present our evidence and justify our conclusions. All we ask is the opportunity to do so."
"If the public are as generous as we know they can be, if world government's step up and if our members and others rapidly increase their responses then a catasrophie can still be averted. If that is the outcome we accept that part of the price will be that many commentators will ask whether there was ever really a crisis at all."
DEC member agencies recognise that long term solutions are needed to address the underlying vulnerability of many pastoralists in the horn of Africa and in many cases they are working to try to deliver these changes. However we are now facing a critical situation which could spiral out of control unless funds are received to support emergency operations.
Donations can be made at www.dec.org.uk by phone 0370 60 60 900 or by texting 'CRISIS' to 70000 to donate £5 or by post at PO Box 999 London EC3A 3AA.
Money from this appeal will be used to help people survive and rebuild their lives.
- £25 will provide safe drinking water for around 400 people
- £50 will provide vaccinations for 2,000 children
- £100 will provide emergency food parcels to feed 100 families in Kenya and Somalia.
Ends
Notes to editors:
- The DEC member agencies are: ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.
- In some areas the drought is the worst in 60 years according to an analysis by FEWSNET: http://www.fews.net/
- More than 10 million people have been affected across a wide area of East Africa: http://www.fews.net/
- Acute malnutrition (GAM) has reached 37% in some parts of north east Kenya, double the 15 % emergency threshold: http://reliefweb.int/
- Child refugees from Somalia are dying of causes related to malnutrition either during the journey or very shortly after arrival.
- Prices of essential food items have skyrocketed, in some cases more than doubling as the price of cattle that people are selling to buy grain falls sharply: http://www.fews.net/
- The number of refugees fleeing from Somalia has increased significantly with 1,700 a day arriving in Ethiopia and 1,400 a day arriving in Dadaab in Kenya. http://www.unhcr.org/
Please donate to our emergency response fund
Longer term work
In addition to our immediate response in the face of this current food crisis CARE International emphasises the need to tackle the long-term, underlying causes of poverty. We have been present in the region for over 25 years and are helping families to break the cycle of hunger and to adapt to the changing climate and recurring droughts.
Our ongoing work in the region includes:
- Maintenance, protection and development of water points and wells.
- Working with women in Mandera, Kenya to revive traditional food preservation techniques.
- Vaccination of animals to prevent diseases breaking out as they congregate at remaining water points.
- Helping families have more consistent sources of income by supporting them in diversifying their work.
Read more stories from the East Africa Food Crisis:
Staff blog: Sabine Wilke, Emergency Media Officer in Dadaab - 12 August
Video: East Africa Crisis - CARE's response - 12 August
Slideshow: Dadaab refugee camp - 12 August
Somalia to Dadaab: a journey filled with danger - 10 August
Somalia: famine declared in three additional regions of South-Central - 5 August
Ethiopia: in a drought prevention pays - 26 July 2011
Staff Blog: Confusion and waiting in Dadaab, Kenya - 18 July 2011
Staff Blog: "The need for food assistance is increasing at alarming rate" - 16 July 2011
Urgency grows in the Horn of Africa - 15 July 2011
Slideshow: More pictures from the East Africa Food Crisis - 14 July 2011
Staff Blog: Horn of Africa Food Crisis - Dadaab refugee camp - 8 July 2011
Slideshow: East Africa Food Crisis - 8 July 2011
Horn of Africa: The most severe food crisis in the world - 1 July 2011
Reviving traditions to survice drought in Kenya - 3 June 2011
Ethiopia food shortage: The worst is yet to come - 25 May 2011
Press releases from the East Africa food Crisis:
Saving cattle can save lives in drought-stricken Africa - 29 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £30 million - 25 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £27 million - 22 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £20 million - 18 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £18 million - 18 July 2011
Violence against women doubles in giant East Africa refugee camp - 17 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £15 million - 14 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £13 million - 13 July 2011
DEC agencies prepare to scale up work in Somalia - 13 July 2011
Reported cases of sexual violence have quadrupled among refugees - 12 July 2011
Horn of Africa food crisis: CARE launches £16 million appeal - 11 July 2011
UK donations for East Africa Crisis Appeal reach £8 million - 10 July 2011
DEC aims to help prevent East Africa Crisis becoming a catastrophe - 10 July 2011
DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal reaches £6 million - 9 July 2011
Aid delivered in East Africa as DEC Appeals broadcast in UK - 8 July 2011
Africa’s newest country in grip of food crisis - 8 July 2011
DEC announces East Africa Crisis Appeal - 7 July 2011
Drought in Kenya: “Situation of refugees is grave” - 4 July 2011
Horn of Africa: CARE calls for more attention to severe food insecurity - 19 May 2011
